Metamorphosis of a recipe: Simple into what I like. . . Do you cook like this?

M

mistral

Well-known member
At 15728 above, FloriSandy posted a link to a very easy recipe for thai-style curry shrimp.

All well and good. I prepped the shrimp, 2 pounds of big shrimp that I peeled, deveined and cut into two (to make it go around better, ya know?).

I dug out the curry paste--I had just about 1 tablespoon, alright! I chopped the cilantro and set it aside.

I like more vegetables in my food so since I had a ripe, red bell pepper in the fridge, I cleaned it and cut it up. Couldn't find my green onions so I cut up a brown onion into thick, lengthwise slices and then on top of those I just had to have garlic so I chopped up about 6 cloves worth and put it in with the onions.

Next, I wanted more red, so I grabbed a just-about-dead-ripe tomato I had just picked. Seeded it and chopped it up. Since the tomatoes have been so good lately when I add basil to 'em and thai cooking frequently uses basil, well, I got a small hand full of basil, rolled it up and then cut it into thin slivers and set it in with the cilantro.

The husband likes potatoes so I peeled three small ones and cut them into half-diameter slices thin enough to cook in about 15 minutes or so. Set'em in water.

Upon checking for a USUAL staple of coconut milk in my pantry I found that, ARRRGH! I was totally out of coconut milk. Dang. Called our Indian friends down the street--they were out too! Dang. Friend suggested to use cream so I got an 8 oz. can of Mexican Crema out and began to cook.

Laid a little oil in a big, heated, stainless steel frying pan; laid the curry paste into the oil and since I even want to buy clam juice, I put some prepared shrimp paste in with the curry. Smelled good, but not enough curry for me. I added the rest of my Penzey's Maharaja Curry powder and a little more oil--that was it, smelled good as I cooked it.

I poured in the crema, but as I needed more liquid, I then added two more cans of water. Gave it a taste and salted it by adding some fish sauce. Still needed some thing so I added about 2 teaspoons or so of sugar, which hit the spot. I tossed in the onion and potatoes and the bell pepper and cooked till the potatoes were just soft. Tossed in the shrimp chunks and cooked just till they were almost cooked and then I tossed in the cilantro and basil.

It was a hit even though I didn't have coconut milk or clam juice and I added the red bell pepper and tomato.

Did I add that the pepper was good, but the tomato in there was absolutely wonderful? It was and I did, just now.

Sometimes I get lucky. . . And I was sure as H*** happy that I didn't tube the two pounds of shrimp!

http://www.finerkitchens.com/swap/forum1/127652_Rec_Red_Curry_Shrimp__This_was_delicious_and_so_easy_to_make

Red Curry Shrimp at Epi:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Red-Curry-Shrimp-108616

 
That's exactly how I cook...

I look at recipes as "just a suggestion" and then go with what I like/what's available!

Isn't that what it's all about?

 
That's the ticket. What cracks me up is when someone does that to a recipe...

...-changes, substitutions, etc., to a point where the original recipe is a goner. Then they go back to the site where they found the original recipe, give it a one-star rating and write a negative review of how bad the recipe came out. So funny.

Funnier yet is people who review recipes they haven't even made yet!

Michael

 
Michael in Phoenix--you got that right! FK's the only place I really pay attention 2 REC critiquing.

If reviewers at other sites are randomly substituting ingredients and/or altering the amounts called for, it really makes me wonder how accurate their cooking techniques are!

Example, if I'd tried that Caramel-Pecan Black Bottom pie on my own off the BA site and had it bomb, I'd have probably thought it simply wasn't a good recipe, but because I got it here recommended by charlie, I knew I had to be doing something wrong. As it turned out, I was doing several things wrong when making the caramel so no wonder it didn't turn out right for me.

 
Mistral, this is how Kevin Lynch develops his recipes on Closet Cooking...

...-one of my favorite blogs.

His typical method is to read a bunch of recipes on the particular dish he wants to cook. Then he cooks up a version that meets his likes/dislikes and uses ingredients that are on hand to accomplish it.

He's been linked numerous times on this forum, but I'll provide another.

His recipes are very good, IMHO.

Michael

http://closetcooking.blogspot.com/2008/08/salsa-verde-turkey-burger.html

 
Mistral, I'm glad you liked the um... recipe. LOL! I figured one could do a lot with the simple

sauce.

Here's my favorite that you might like to try sometime that's similar to what you made. You could sub shrimp to this too. I like to add drained straw mushrooms near the end of cooking.

While searching for it, I realized it should be in T & T as KC, Suz, Val, Curious1 and myself have made and liked.

I'll put it in the poultry T & T with everyone's notes. Or should I put the curry in One Dish Meals?

http://eat.at/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=16437

 
Michael--then Kevin and I must be twins from different mothers! --Been doing this for years! (nt)

 
Holy MOLY! My shrimp version looks to be almost just the same as this chicken version--

And i swear I had never seen the chicken curry before today!

Chicken or fish, it's good!

 
For years I would try a recipe, automatically doctoring it before trying the original. . .

And I for sure had my flops. Learned my lesson.

I now am pretty religious about trying a "hot" recipe in the original, cooked and prepared just as the original is.

 
ummm no. I've never made a curry, so I would follow the recipe "as is" the

first time...and then adjust the spices at the end. Otherwise, I wouldn't have any idea if I'm getting the "right" outcome.

That said, I'll tweak it to death thereafter since I now know where I want the dish to go.

 
I agree. I know the ingredients that we like so if someone posts something

here that sounds good I'll follow their recipe. I think it's only fair to the poster. After that, I'll add my own tweaks if I think it needs it.

 
I made this, too (and totally changed it!)

I had a beautiful eggplant which I thinly sliced, quartered and salted. I heated oil from the top of the 1st can of coconut milk with several grated garlic cloves, chunks of a big onion, 2 Tbs plus of red curry paste and about a teaspoon of roasted red chili paste until onion was tender. Added the remaining coconut milk and a 2nd can along with the rinsed eggplant slices, fish sauce and sugar, lime juice and lemon grass. When the eggplant was mostly tender, I threw in chunks of lemon-grilled chicken and served it over basmati rice. So very yummy! (I did have to make the rice twice because I mixed up the rice to water ratio and the first batch was a hard rice brick!)

I am inspired by food! Colleen

 
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