All spiced up: mango thai curry

By Danielle Rosenberg

When we were little, packed lunches were composed primarily of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, an orange and a box of juice. And while this may still taste great, sometimes the palate demands a little more from lunch.

This semester, faced with an awkwardly –long break in between my classes, I’ve decided to fight back against the brown paper bag (and Seacobeck and the Nest since I got rid of my meal plan two years ago).

Trekking back to my house from campus isn’t usually worth it, so in the mornings I’ll whip up something fast and throw it in a Tupperware container. So, after staring, uninspired, at the seemingly incompatible contents of my fridge, I threw this  together this morning. (Note: Making lunch before class almost always makes me late, so I probably have to start cooking the night before.)

A word on spice blends: Sometimes I find it handy to just have a pre-combined mixture of spices around. The ones I have are from a spice shop in Asheville, but I imagine the spice shop here in town has ones very similar.

The Thai Curry Blend, in particular, is excellent and has not only curry powder, turmeric and some chili powder but also lemongrass. Lemongrass really added to this dish, so if you can find a curry blend with lemongrass, pounce on it.

Alternatively you can easily make your own, according to taste.

Recipe:

Ingredients:
One small onion, chopped
1-2 Tbsp. Thai Curry Spice Blend (to taste)
About ½ of a mango, chopped
¾ Cup Coconut Milk (canned or in a carton)
1 Cup spinach or kale
¼ Cup Dry Brown Rice, cooked per instructions

Instructions:

In a medium-sized sauté pan, add the chopped onions with a little olive oil and sauté until the onions become translucent.Add the Spice Blend, to taste, and stir well.Then add the chopped mango and let cook for a minute or two.
Add the coconut milk, and let  simmer, stirring occasionally, until it forms a nice sauce, or about 3-4 minutes.
Finally, add the spinach or kale and stir a little, until it begins to shrink (you may need to put a lid on the dish if using kale, since it requires a little more heat to shrink).
Serve over the rice or on the side. I added to the meal half a sliced apple (the rest was my breakfast) as dessert and sprinkled a little lemon juice (to prevent browning) and cinnamon on top.