We have this Asian market called Fubonn Shopping Center. It’s pretty much the most exhilarating, awesome, and sketchy thing all rolled up into one. I’m sure you can find almost anything your Asian appetite desires. A lot of it is in languages I can’t understand. I’m intrigued by things I don’t know. I’m the girl who orders the weirdest thing on the menu purely because its weird. A lot of it is ridiculously cheap. You do have to inspect what you get though. We’ve taken home things that had already spoiled without realizing it. Expiration dates are optional as far as we can tell.

The one thing we go here for is the tubs of curry paste [never mind the full cart we usually walk out with]. For $4 you get a massive bucket of paste. $4 barely gets you a tiny jar of paste in most normal grocery stores. We grabbed two red, a green, and a panang. Can you tell we like curry? The pantry looks hilarious. Coconut milk, for example, is the same price as anywhere else but I still grabbed a few cans. Rice noodles? Check. Huge bag of baby bok choy for $0.88 per pound? Check. Three chicken breasts of unknown origin or feeding schedule for $3? Check. 20+ large [and spicy!] jalapenos for $1.50? You get the idea. I’ll try to spare you the many, many curry dishes we’ll likely be eating in the future. This ranks up there with Italian and Mexican.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, chopped into pieces

2 bunches of baby bok choy, rinsed and sliced

1/2 onion, diced

1 1/2 jalapenos, sliced [adjust to your spice preference]

1 can coconut milk

1/2 cup of water

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 tablespoons curry paste

Fresh rice noodles

Basil for garnish [optional]

Preparation

In a wok or a large, deep pan, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. You want the oil hot enough so when you add a drop of water, it sizzles. Add the curry paste and stir around, coating in the oil. It’s going to get really fragrant! Pour in a cup of the coconut milk, and stir the curry paste so it dissolves into the milk. Add the chicken to the milk mixture. Cook for 4-5 minutes before adding the remaining coconut milk, half a cup of water. Stir together before adding the veggies. Bring the curry to a boil and then drop the heat to medium low. Allow the veggies to soften in the curry, stirring occasionally. I had fresh rice noodles, so I just dropped them into the curry at this point to allow them to warm up. Once the noodles marinate for a minute or three, top with the basil and serve.