When I first started the blog, I’d get a bit huffy when people would make requests for specific dishes. I think it has something to do with the fact that I spend my days working on projects that are prioritized by my boss, and I how when I come home, pull on pajama pants, and get to work in the kitchen, the blog is all me – my tastes, my whims, my rants. 

But lately, my attitude has done a complete 180, and not only am I happy to receive the occasional request, I actually find it to be something of a relief. It’s been a while since I’ve devoutly bought the bulk of my food in one fell swoop at the farmer’s market (move it Spring, let’s go!), and there are a lot of nights when I face the prospect of an empty fridge. It on these nights that I leave work in recipe paralysis and head for the the little grocer in Dumbo where I then do one of three things.

A: Mill about in the produce or near the meat or fish counter and see what looks good and then recall an old recipe that I’ve made with that thing 1000 times before, and buy those ingredients

B: Mill about in the produce or near the meat or fish counter and see what looks good and then make something up that I think will work, grabbing whatever I see that feels right

C: Mill about in the store, panic, and buy an obscenely expensive jar of artisan pickles and a tub of Greek yogurt, which I later consume at dinner time (to clarify: one after the other) although it is decidedly not “a dinner”.

Requests give me a purpose. They make me hop on Epicurious.com or brave my stacks of cookbooks and magazines to find a recipe to test. And the best requests come from people with reasons for needing the recipe. Take my friend Reese, who emailed me at work to ask if I had a recipe for a “badass green curry” which he might use to impress a “lady friend”. If one curry is all there was standing between Reese and what might possibly, have a fighting chance of one day becoming something that then becomes true love, well, I wouldn’t even dream of withholding the recipe.

I’ve made green curries before, using a variety of recipes, but it’s definitely a dish that I have not committed to memory. I glanced at a recipe or two before going to the store, but it was just one small, irresponsible glimpse. A skim, if you will. And I deftly, impatiently, decided that I could just start cooking from memory when I got home. It was not a good idea. I added too many of the flavors I obsess over (lemongrass, limes, basil) and not enough of some essential elements (red chilies, fish sauce, garlic) and I ended up with a very unbalanced curry.

I also left out stock, which is an essential ingredient in curry making (this is sounding more like a FAIL by the minute). I just threw in whatever vegetables were available at the grocer, which is totally fine, but I would have preferred adorable Thai eggplant, which can be hard to find, even in New York City (head for Chinatown and you will find it in abundance).

I had to mess with the curry a lot, and only with Brian’s help was it returned to something that resembled what we were hoping to eat for dinner. I stopped taking notes when it became a curry emergency, so I can’t even begin to tell you what finally ended up in the pan. Not wanting to let Reese down, however, I did find a recipe that I know will be amazing, and I offer a few tips from my own experience that might help, if my credibility isn’t totally shot.

NOT pictured above: Green Curry with Shrimp
From Vatch’s Thai Kitchen: Thai Dishes to Cook at Home by Vatcharin Bhumichitr 

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons green curry paste

12 raw jumbo shrimp

2 3/4 cups coconut cream

2 3/4 cup vegetable stock

2 large fresh chilies, sliced diagonally into thin ovals

1/4 cup fish sauce (I think this is a bit too much – I’d start with a few teaspoons and add more to taste)

8 round green eggplant, quartered or one Chinese eggplant cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 tablespoon sugar

30 fresh, sweet basil leaves

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. add the garlic, and saute until golden brown. Stir in the curry paste, mixing well. Add the shrimp and stir-fry until just cooked through. Add the coconut cream and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the stock. Return to a boil, stirring occationally.

Keeping the curry simmering, add the chiles, fish sauce, eggplant, and sugar and simmer until the eggplant are cooked but still crunchy. (do not overcook, or the shrimp will get tough).

Stir in the basil leaves just before serving. Serve with rice.