Cambodian Curry

I know that I'm a fortunate girl to know the founders of The Pepper Project personally. Not only are Tom and Cris both wonderfully talented people, but their generosity astounds me. (So go buy something. 100% of the profits go back to various artists and causes in Cambodia. One Hundred percent. That's called working for free. Well, that's what I call it. Tom and Cris call it donating their time for something they believe in, but they are obviously better people than I am.)

Tom—the chef half of the couple—knows I love to experiment with ethnic dishes, so it's not unusual for him to return from one of his trips abroad with a little something extra tucked into his bag for me—fish sauce, pho stock (A pho-kit, if you will. Ahem.), sea salt or spices. A couple months ago, he grabbed me some Cambodian curry powder, which is amazing. I've used it in place of Indian curry powder, which worked excellently, and last night I tried it in an actual Cambodian recipe, which was similar in flavor to a Thai curry.

My point is that you probably can't get your hands on this stuff (but if you can, do it!), and so feel free to substitute Thai curry powder or paste in this recipe.

Cambodian Chicken & Veggie Curry
Peanut oil (or canola)
12 oz. chicken breast, cut into smallish chunks
2 tbsp curry powder
2 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 in thick
1 medium sweet potato, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 in thick
One medium brown onion, peeled, ends removed, and quartered
4 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 can light coconut milk
Small eggplant
Cooked white rice, to serve

Wash the eggplant and halve it lengthwise. Slice into pieces (about 2 cups worth) about 1/4 in thick and place on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt. Let sit about 15 minutes as you chop the other vegetables, etc. Rinse well. (This step cuts the bitter flavor of the eggplant, if you were wondering.)

Heat about 1 tbsp of oil in wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and stir-fry until cooked, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside. Add another 1/2 tbsp of oil and curry powder. Stir-fry about a minute, then stir in fish sauce and sugar. Add carrots, potato and onion, and toss well. Stir-fry about 10 minutes, stirring often, then add coconut milk and about 1/4 cup water. Bring to a slight boil, then add eggplant, combining well. Continue stir-frying, stirring often, until potatoes are tender, another 5 minutes or so.

Serve over hot rice.

About 1055 calories (not including rice):
211/5 servings
264/4 servings
352/3 servings