Green Fish Curry

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Fish Green CurryA friend of mine from Korea traveled Thailand for a couple of months and sent me a couple of postcards, which is so lovely of her. I’ve never been to Thailand myself, but all the photos and stories she posted on the mobile app looked like a relaxing place to visit. She even took a cooking class one day and made a pad Thai and green curry. Yum! I should definitely ask her to make one for me when we catch up next time and get some recipes to see how real locals make their curry.

I made this green curry with chicken breast last time, but tried with fish fillets today, which was as delicious! Thai green curry paste is made of turmeric, chilli, kaffir lime, lemon grass, garlic and galangal (similar to ginger root), which all have wonderful medicinal properties. Turmeric aids digestion and detoxifies your system. Chilli is an excellent antioxidant, rich in vitamin A and C. Kaffir lime stimulates digestion and prevents cancer and high blood pressure. Lemongrass helps to fight against cold, congestion, fever, cough and sore throat. Garlic, without a doubt, a powerful detoxifying agent. Galangal is also a stimulant for digestion. So overall curry is tasty as well as nutritious, but it is high in saturated fat and calories because of the coconut oil and milk in coconut-based curry. So eat in moderation. Opt for low-fat coconut milk if you are concerned.

Ingredients

2 basa fillets
1/2 cup of chopped basil
1/2 cup of chopped coriander
1 tsp of grated ginger
1 tsp of minced garlic
1/2 cup of chopped spring onion
1/2 cup of chopped zucchini
1 onion
1 potato
1 tsp green curry paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp coconut oil
1 cup of coconut milk
1/4 cup of water
salt and pepper to taste

Pat dry the fish fillets, season with salt and pepper, cook in a pan with coconut oil 2-3 minutes each side. Take it off the heat and set aside. Add another teaspoon of coconut oil in a pan and cook all chopped veggies and curry paste. When the veggies are cooked al dente, add coconut milk and water and simmer for 10 minutes. Put the fish back to the pan and combine with the curry. Serve over the rice. Garnish with fresh coriander and a squeeze of lemon/lime.

Posted in: Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, My recipes

Choosing The Base of Salads

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I have to admit how disappointed I was when I went to BBQs here. Grilling chuck steaks and sausages in a synthetic lining, bottles of barbeque sauce, sad looking salads, heavy salad dressings… Or maybe I’ve just been to all bad ones. I’m not a huge meat eater and thus going to a BBQ means pretty starving for me. Salads, especially, look so unloved. It’s just a side dish no one really touches. Can you name more than five salad veggies? Here is a thing. If you are a fan of healthy eating and cares about what goes into your body, then there is a homework for you. Go down to the local market or farmer’s market on the weekend and explore salad veggies. See how they look like, their names, smells, tastes, texture. You will be pretty impressed there is a whole world of veggies out there from spicy arugula to tender butter lettuce. Just in case I haven’t told you yet, I love going to the grocery shopping as much as clothes shopping. I will list some of the examples with photos and nutrition facts below.

  • Butter lettuce: Good source of vitamin A, K and folate. Soft and buttery textured leaves.
  • Cabbage: Dense, waxy, crunchy texture. Red cabbage has twice the vitamin C as green cabbage.
  • Iceberg lettuce: You will all know this one. Light and crunch texture. A good source of vitamin K, but that’s about it. Not much nutrition unfortunately.
  • Radicchio: Purple round heads of bitter leaves. Rich in phosphorus, calcium, vitamin B and C. Beautiful both raw and grilled
  • Romaine: Rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, beta-carotene, vitamin A, B and C
  • Arugula (Roquette, Rocket): Peppery mustard flavour and nutty flavour. Contains anti-cancer properties.
  • Spinach: Tender, sweet, salty leaves. Rich in vitamin A, B, C, folate, iron, calcium and magnesium.
  • Kale: Sweet and tender greens. Very high in beta-carotene, vitamin K and C, calcium, anti-cancer properties.
  • Watercress: Peppery and tangy flavour. Rich in iron, calcium, iodine, folic acid, vitamin A and C, anti-cancer properties.

Try to mix 2-3 different variety of greens when you make a salad, for example, mild lettuce + crisp romaine + peppery arugula. That’s the foundation of your salad. Then you can add other ingredients like carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, what ever you feel like. Some suggestions for salad topping?

  • Crunchy: Nuts, pita chips, edamame, sugar snap peas, sweet potato, broccoli, pumpkin, beetroot, fennel, celery
  • Chewy: Dried fruits, sun-dried tomatoes, peas, corns, lentils, beans, tempeh
  • Fruity: apple, pear, nectarine, mango, berries, grapes
  • Creamy: cheese, hummus, yogurt
Posted in: salads, Vegetarian