When I’m in the mood for curry, I want it now and in a hurry! Thankfully it is easy to do and I have all the ingredients in my pantry most of the time. This version skips the curry paste making stage and goes right to the heart of the sauce.
I came across this sauce when I read an amazing book by Lyn-Genet Recitas called The Plan. Her theory is there are certain foods, unique to each of us, that cause us to gain weight through inflammation. The really interesting part is so many of these foods are considered to be “healthy” but your particular body make-up does not process them well. So you gain weight even while eating “healthy” and exercising! That is so rude! The book is filled with fascinating facts, myth breakers and the health benefits of much loved things like citrus oil and herbs. It’s an easy and interesting read and makes a lot of sense. As the title states, she has a Plan and recipes too!
Here’s my easy, go to Curry Dinner – immensely satisfying and on the plate/in a bowl in a flash! I like my sauce on the spicy side but if you like your curry on the milder side, cut back a little on the amount of spices and salt.
Spicy Coco Sauce ingredients have such a warm color and give a huge punch of flavor to the sauce!
Sauté onion, garlic and spices in a dry skillet for several minutes. This will warm the spices and release their flavors and slightly cook the onion and garlic. Your kitchen will start to smell amazing!
Add the coconut milk. Don’t use low fat coconut milk! You’ll miss out on the full flavor and richness. Great news for Coconut Milk ~ the body absorbs and uses it as energy shortly after it is consumed. Because the body does not store coconut fats, you are less likely to have clogged arteries and heart disease. And it is rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. That’s all good!
Add the salt and brown sugar. The brown sugar balances the spices with a layer of sweetness and rounds out the sauce’s flavor profile.
Simmer to reduce sauce for about 20 minutes – oh yes, my mouth is watering now. Even my cat is rolling around on the kitchen floor in ecstasy from the smells floating through the air. He loves curry!
Yummy Stuff to Put the Spicy Coco Sauce Over
Prepare the brown rice per the package or check out the Fool Proof Rice recipe I always use. While the rice is cooking, make the veggies and chicken to go along with the AMAZING sauce!
Salt and pepper chicken tenders and saute in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from pan and keep warm.
I love my mandoline! I’ve had it for YEARS!! It’s German made with stainless steel blades that snap easily in and out of the base. It makes slicing veggies the same thickness a breeze! It’s even more important when you are cooking fast that the veggies are the same size and cook evenly. And there is no way my knife skills are this good! It’s a sharp little devil so be very careful not to add a piece of finger!
Beautiful colors! Since you eat with your eyes first, this is a beautiful and healthy dish to feast your eyes upon!
In the same skillet, with the brown bits of flavor from the chicken still in the pan, saute the carrot slices for 2 minutes until they start to soften. Layers of flavor!
Add the snap peas and red bell pepper and cook until crisp tender. Another minute or two at the most! I said this was a fast meal to prepare!
Add the zucchini and saute until it softens slightly. You want all the veggies to be crisp tender so you are adding them to the pan closely after each other. The rice is nearing perfection on the next burner over as we come racing into the home stretch.
Add the baby kale and saute until it wilts slightly. The leaves should still have their shape, not just one melted pile of greens.
Pour the Spicy Coco Sauce over the mixture. We are getting so close to forkfuls of this luscious sauce!
Slice the chicken and add back into the vegetable mixture to warm through. My adult version of comfort food!
Mound brown rice in the center of a wide, shallow bowl. Top with the curry, veggie, chicken mixture and savor the goodness!
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 can coconut milk (don’t use low fat, you will be sad)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 heaping tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 large carrot, thinly sliced on diagonal
- 1 large zucchini, thinly sliced in half moon shape
- 1/2 cup snap peas,sliced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced, then bite size cut
- 2 cups baby kale
- small package Chicken Tenders, sauteed
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 cups Brown Rice, cooked
- Spicy Coco Sauce: Sauté onion, garlic and spices in a dry skillet for several minutes. This will warm the spices and release their flavors and slightly cook the onion and garlic.
- Add the coconut milk.
- Add the salt and brown sugar.
- Simmer to reduce sauce for about 20 minutes.
- The sauce will last for 5 days in the refrigerator or you can freeze it for 4 months. Makes 4 servings.
- Rice and Veggies: Prepare the brown rice per the package or check out the Fool Proof Rice recipe I always use. While the rice is cooking, make the veggies and chicken to go along with the AMAZING sauce!
- Salt and pepper chicken tenders and saute in a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from pan and keep warm.
- In the skillet, saute the carrot slices for 2 minutes until they start to soften.
- Add the snap peas and red bell pepper and cook until crisp tender.
- Add the zucchini and saute until it softens slightly. You want all the veggies to be crisp tender so you are adding them closely after each other.
- Add the baby kale and saute until it wilts.
- Pour the Spicy Coco Sauce over the mixture.
- Slice the chicken and add back into the vegetable mixture to warm through.
- Mound brown rice in the center of a wide, shallow bowl. Top with the curry, veggie, chicken mixture and savor the goodness!
I salivate when I read some of these recipes, and how my Bill would have loved this site! I always read, but don’t cook anymore. Well done, Michele, and so readable, too!
Love Curry. Thank you for posting