Saturday, September 13, 2008

Maybe politics and cooking don't mix . . .

I heard about Samak Sundaravej, the prime minister of Thailand, on the radio. Apparently, before he was prime mister he was a famous TV chef, which earned him enough fame to get elected, however that past role is now getting him into trouble. Read here for more info: http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/node/9734

While cooking is my favorite hobby and policy analysis is my chosen field of study, it looks like pursuing them simultaneously as professions might be a bad idea.
On a tangently related note, it turns out the Thai food is awesome. I learned to love it on my mission. It is my understanding that Switerzland is the country with the second best Thai food . . . next to England. (That's a bad joke, but there are quite a few Thailanders in Europe) Tonight I made an easy Coconut Chicken Curry:

1 lb. skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut in bite-sized pieces
1/2 medium onion (optional, but I like it), chopped
1 medium red Bell pepper, chopped
1 medium green Bell pepper, chopped
1 can coconut milk (can use light or regular)
Curry paste
Salt to taste

Preparation:
1) Heat some oil (in the pan, you want a thin coating on the bottom).
2) Chop onion, and add.
3) Chop peppers and add. Stir. Cook until onion is getting soft, if it isn't already.
4) While that is cooking, chop the chicken.
5) Add the curry paste (including the salt).
6) Add the chicken. Stir until almost cooked through.
7) Add the coconut milk. (Note: this makes a fairly soupy curry. If you want it thicker, just add maybe 2/3 of the can.) Bring it to a boil, and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes.
Serve over rice.