Thai Red Curry With Pork

I ask you fair readers, what does a cold winter night, a head cold, a few ounces of pork tenderloin in the fridge equal on a weeknight?  Well if you said Thai red curry then you are correct!  Seems like a great antidote to the cold weather (hot, hearty), the over indulgence of the holiday season (simple, straightforward) and a head cold (spicy) all on a budget. 

Now you could go on about making my own curry paste but frankly by the time I hunt down all the base ingredients, make the paste and then store it I'd be into the recipe quite a lot of $s.  I use the Mae Ploy brand of curry pastes and all are very delicious, easy to use and fit the frugal lifestyle quite well at a 14oz tub for $1.69.  I love all the products from Mae Ploy I've tried and I have a jar of their Pad Thai sauce in the cupboard waiting for a time for noodles.

So here it is, grab up some of the curry paste and give this a go for your own Thai evening at home!

Thai Red Curry w/ Pork

• 1 Tbl Peanut oil
• 4oz Onion sliced into spears
• 2 Cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes
• 4oz Pork tenderloin, cut lengthwise in half and then sliced 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick
• 6oz Carrots, julienned about 1 inch long
• 1oz Red curry paste
• 1 Cup Chicken stock
• 1 Can Coconut milk, 5.6oz
• 2oz Frozen peas
• 2oz Red bell pepper, julienned about 1 inch long 

1. Heat oil over medium heat and add garlic & crushed red pepper to perfume the oil while heating
2. Add onion spears to the pan and cook until tender, stirring often
3. Add pork and stir fry until browned
4. Reduce heat and add the carrots, curry paste, chicken stock and coconut milk
5. Simmer until the carrots are tender
6. Add red bell pepper juienne and peas
7. Remove from heat, allow the curry to sit for a few minutes to soften the bell pepper slightly and thaw the peas
8. Serve over brown rice

This is delicious, quick and inexpensive.  It makes 2 each 2 cup servings.  When served with rice this makes a nice large portion with another great portion for tomorrow's lunch.  I think this entire dinner cost about $2 for both portions.

I love Thai food and can't afford to eat out as often as I would like to have it so this helps the budget greatly and indulges me in one of my culinary loves.

Hasta