Red Hot Chicken Curry

I mentioned this dish in my post about tracking food intake, and reader Steve emailed to request the recipe. My pleasure, sir!

For those who prefer a bit less heat, simply eliminate the hot pepper and reduce the hot curry powder to 1 tablespoon, or substitute a mild curry powder.

Red Hot Chicken Curry

1 Tbs coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced or minced
1/2 large yellow onion, julienned
1/2 red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 pasilla or other bell pepper, julienned
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thin, diagonal slices
1 hot pepper (I used Chinese 5-color), not seeded, minced
2-3 Tbs hot curry powder
2 tsp Indian tandoori spice blend
2 Tbs red curry paste
1 Tbs fresh gingerroot, grated
1 (14.5 oz) can coconut milk, full-fat
1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth
1 lb cooked chicken, cut into strips
4-6 cups fresh spinach
Green onion and unsweetened coconut flakes for garnish (optional)

Melt coconut oil in deep skillet or large-bottomed saucepan over medium flame. Add vegetables except spinach (garlic through hot pepper) and saute 2-3 minutes. Add spices (curry powder through gingerroot) and saute about a minute more, stirring constantly to toast the spices while preventing them from burning. Add broth, stirring to remove bits of spice from bottom of pan. Add coconut milk and chicken. Reduce heat and simmer 2o minutes, stirring occasionally while allowing flavors to meld. Stir in spinach and allow time for leaves to wilt, about 2 minutes. Serve topped with chopped green onion and coconut flakes, if desired. Serves 4.