Kitchen Antics: The Peanut Curry

To hell with cholesterol. Coconut milk is one of god's sweetest and most amazing creations (apart from nacho-cheese Doritos, naan bread and handsome outfielders) so never be afraid to use it. The very addition of said hairy nut nectar can turn a meal from 'boring' to 'not at all boring'. And the joy that belches forth from combining it with peanut butter is indescribable. So I won't.

For this bad boy you'll need the following:

• 2 cups coconut milk (low fat coconut milk is acceptable)
• 500 grams chicken OR beef
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 chilled bottles of the cheapest Dutch beer you can purchase
• 4 to 5 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
• 3 little red chillis with seeds removed (take precautions) and chopped into tiny bits. Use fewer if you don't like it so hot. Use the seeds if you're insane
• 2/3 cup salt-free peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon fish oil.
• 1/4 cup peanuts (get unsalted. also, get them pre-shelled. unless you have lots of time)
• 1 red capsicum (optional. it makes you look fancy though) finely chopped.
• 1 CD - Helmet's Betty

Chop the meat of your choice into bite size pieces, and keep to one side - cover it, fridge it or both. Keep it hygienic, people.

Crush the peanuts in a ziplock bag, using a heavy rolling pin, a cutting board and some muscle. Make them small, but don't make them powder.

Now the easy bit. Find a large-ish saucepan and on a low heat, combine the fish oil, peanut oil, red curry paste, water and the coconut milk. Stir thoroughly (not too vigorously) until this sauce is even. Now raise the temperature a little and add the peanut butter. Just spoon it in and stir it up. Add the chilli, half of the chopped peanuts and the capsicum.

Raise the temperature once again to bring your saucepan to the boil. Add the meat and stir while boiling for a few minutes - maybe 5. But no less.

Drop the heat to let it simmer for about 20 minutes so it can sit there and get tasty. You don't have to constantly watch it simmering; check it every 5 minutes to stir and to make sure nothing bad happens. Cover it and walk away to prepare your rice or retrieve a frosty beer. Maybe both.

Serve on the rice, use the remainder of the chopped peanuts to sprinkle over the top, and eat.

Published on Monday, 17 October 2005