I've never met a curry I didn't like. Indian, Thai, Japanese, Burmese, British - I love them all. But here's the thing - I rarely make curry for myself. It's true! It is one of those dishes that I LOVE but that I typically enjoy while dining out.
Admittedly, curries are very simple and straightforward to make...as long as you have a good curry paste. As you know (if you know me), I don't like buying pre-made foods. I always prefer to make things from scratch. Curry paste is certainly one of those ingredients I have historically shied away from. I know what it takes to make a curry paste from scratch and it is no cake walk!
Last year in May, 2016, I was traveling through Thailand. While in Bangkok, I took a cooking class and learned how to make a curry paste. Let me tell you, that curry paste was hands down the best I've ever tasted! Partially because it truly was delicious, but also because it was a labor of love to make it. While it was great to have this experience...I don't have time to casually make a curry paste on a Tuesday night after work. Ya feel me?
Luckily for you and me, there are store bought options for when we don't have time to break out the mortar and pestle and make our own. I really like the Simply Asia Thai Red Curry Paste. The ingredient list is simple: red chili peppers, garlic, lemongrass, Thai ginger, shallot, Kaffir lime and spice. If you look at the photo above from when I made my own curry paste in Thailand, it is spot on!
To make things even easier, this is a crockpot meal! I used the 'Slow Cooker' function on my Gourmia Smart Pot Multicooker (or Instant Pot) which I believe equates to the HIGH function on a traditional slow cooker. I wanted to lighten up this dish so this isn't quite as thick and creamy as a typical curry, but I find it just as delicious. This is great eaten straight from the slow cooker, but I think the flavors develop even more as leftovers eaten in the days following. If you want to keep this low carb like I show in the photos, pair your Chicken Cabbage Curry with Cauliflower Rice (recipe coming soon!) or whatever rice you like.
Chicken Cabbage Curry
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients:
- 1 cup yellow onion, sliced
- 1 tsp ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp fish sauce (optional)
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 tbsp red curry paste
- 1 cup coconut milk (canned, full fat)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 large boneless chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes (1.5 lb)
- 4 cup purple cabbage, shredded
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
Directions:
In Slow Cooker (or the 'Slow Cooker' option on Smartpot, InstantPot, etc.)
- In the pot of your cooker, combine onion, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, tomato paste, curry paste, coconut milk and broth. Stir to combine. Add chicken and mix to completely coat the cubes.
- Set slow cooker to HIGH setting and cook chicken curry for 2 hours.
- After two hours, chicken should start to pull apart. Add cabbage and carrots and stir into curry so that it is well incorporated. Place lid back on cooker and continue to cook for another hour.
- Serve with cauliflower rice or rice of your choice, garnish with fresh basil.
Nutritional Information (1/6th of recipe):
250 calories - 27 g Protein, 11.5 g Carbohydrates, 11 g Fat