Siamese Chicken Curry

Adapted from The Frog Commissary Cookbook by Steven Poses, Anne Clark, and Becky Roller (Doubleday, 1985)

Serves 4

When I was living in Alexandria, Virginia, someone who regularly traveled to Philadelphia on business gave me a copy of the new Frog Commissary Cookbook along with a packet of Thai green curry paste from the restaurant. I have been making this dish ever since.

This was at a time when Thai food was virtually nonexistent in the United States. There were only a handful of Vietnamese restaurants I knew of in Washington, Alexandria, and New York, and Thai curry paste was not something you could buy at the supermarket. At Frog Commissary, little packets of curry paste assembled by Steve Poses were sold near the cash register to go with the cookbook.

It is not an authentic Thai dish. According to the book, one of the chefs at Frog stirred some Thai curry paste—originally being used by line cooks from Thailand to make staff meals—into a classic French Béchamel, and this dish was born.

The book is out of print, which is unfortunate because it is genuinely interesting to read and full of recipes that work if you follow the directions carefully. It is usually available used.

Béchamel Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon salt
Dash of white pepper
1 cup half-and-half 

Curry

1½ cups broccoli florets
1 pound carrots, cut into matchsticks
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ ounce Thai green curry paste
12 ounces boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ cup peanuts, dry roasted or honey roasted

Hot cooked white rice (I use basmati)

To make the Béchamel, melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour, salt, and white pepper and cook briefly. Gradually whisk in the half-and-half or milk and cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and slightly thickened. Set aside.

Blanch the broccoli and carrots in plenty of boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok, large skillet, or saucier. Stir in the curry paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Stir-fry until the sugar begins to caramelize.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, but do not let it burn. Add the soy sauce and continue stir-frying until most of the liquid has evaporated and the chicken is cooked through.

Stir in the Béchamel. When the sauce is smooth, add the broccoli and carrots and heat through.

Sprinkle the peanuts over the top and serve with hot cooked rice.

NOTE: I recently made this with shrimp (21 count) instead of chicken, and it worked beautifully. The sauce is surprisingly flexible.