Day 115: Cupboard Scavenger Hunt

Every so often, it's a good idea to rummage through your pantry or cabinets.  Chances are, there are some items in there that you bought on a whim and then never used.  If you're in a bit of a rut as far as cooking dinner goes, go on a little cupboard scavenger hunt sometime soon.  You just may be inspired to make something new that requires minimal additional grocery shopping.

I rummaged through my own cabinets this weekend and stumbled upon a jar of red curry paste.  No idea when or where I purchased it - for all I know, this little jar has moved with me to my past 3 or 4 apartments - so tonight I decided to follow the recipe on the label and wound up with a new and very easy mid-week dinner idea.

Thai Red Curry Shrimp (serves 2):

14 oz can coconut milk (we used light)

1 T red curry paste

1 T fish sauce

2 T brown sugar

1 cup frozen peas

1/3 cup water

1/2 lb shrimp (shelled)

Place the coconut milk and curry paste in a large saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes on medium heat.

Add fish sauce, sugar, peas, and water and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in shrimp and continue cooking for about 5 minutes, or until shrimp are cooked through.

Garnish with fresh basil or cilantro, if you desire.  Serve over rice (I used brown rice).

The dish was okay.  I would like to try it again, but substituting chicken for shrimp and adding some thinly sliced red bell pepper.   If you like things extra spicy, add a bit more curry paste - but remember, you can always add more, but you can't take it away!

Rummage through your cabinets soon - let me know if you find anything interesting and what you do with it!