Pineapple Coconut Chicken Curry

I'm not sure curry is the right description but it is definitely a Thai flavored concoction.  Spicy, sweet and filling.  You can easily add or remove vegetables as you see fit - or get rid of them all together - add this would still work. On the flip side, leave out the chicken and you've got a great vegetarian/vegan dish.  If you have a particular aversion to one of the spices or can't find it anywhere, leave it out, I imagine this is still going to work just fine.

 

Makes: ~6 servings

Per serving: 244 calories,

31g protein,

7g fat,

13g carbs

 

Ingredients: 

1 3/4 pounds chicken

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1 1/2 tsp garam masala

2 tsp coriander

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp salt

1 can (14oz) lite coconut milk

1 cup coconut water -- I used this because I had recently opened a fresh coconut; you could easily substitute for store bough coconut water or just plain old water.

1 red onion, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

2 cubanelle pepper, sliced

1/2 lb snow peas

3 oz coconut meat -- Possibly substitute unsweetened shredded coconut instead if you don't have or don't want to deal with opening and shelling your own coconut

8oz mushrooms, sliced

4 oz pineapple sliced and cut into 1" pieces

2 T chopped ginger

1 tsp guar gum*

1 tsp xanthum gum *

*(you could substitute 1T of corn startch, flour or thickener of your choice)

Directions

Cut the chicken into roughly 1-inch cube sized pieces. Mix with the spices, 1/2 of the coconut milk, and 1/2 of the chopped pineapple.  Place in the refrigerator overnight to marinate (or chill for at least 1-2 hours)

 

You can also prepare the other ingredients ahead of time if you wish.  I prepped everything and was able to have everything cooking at the same time in different pans to speed things along. 

Mix the snow peas with the sliced mushrooms and coconut in one container.   In a second container prepare and combine the onion, peppers, garlic and ginger.

 

Mix the onions, peppers, garlic and ginger in a saute pan and quickly saute just until onions start to turn translucent.  Add 1/2 of the coconut water and allow to simmer until fully cooked - about 20 minutes.

 

Remove the pepper mixture from the pan and replace with mushroom mixture, add remaining pineapple.  Saute until the mushrooms just start browning and simmer covered for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally.

 

Place chicken in large pan and cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked, about 10 minutes.

 

Add remaining coconut milk, coconut water, guar gum and xanthum gum and simmer until desired consistency, about 15 minutes.

 

Combine pepper mixture with vegetables in pan and stir to mix.

 

Combine to serve.  Serve alone or over your choice -- as below with glucomannan noodles, regular pasta or rice noodles, rice, shredded cabbage, salad greens, etc.  I initially left the chicken and veggies separate and combined over the noodles but later mixed them all together and it works just fine as well if you want to combine before serving.