Rouxbe

This was the very first Rouxbe recipe that I tried, and I enjoyed it for so many reasons. First, I found a great Asian market in North Portland (Oregon) where I was able to buy every single ingredient that I needed -- galangal, shrimp, kaffir lime...

Secondly, I couldn't believe how easy this was to make. After prepping everything, the cooking flew by! This Thai recipe was better than most that I purchase from the millions of Thai restaurants in Portland -- and I made it for $20!

Well, my attempt to melt Earth Balance resulted in my batter not being thick and beautiful like Dawns, but soupy and dark brown. I had to start over, and learned that nothing tastes like the real deal... like the real deal.

These were really, really good.

I couldn't find Fleur de Sel though at my grocery store. Would I need to buy it somewhere specific?

I could only find Pandan Leaf Extract at my local Asian grocery store and I just used a splash, and my rice was delicious!

Tonight I made this vegetarian friendly by substituting tofu for the chicken, and I must say it was amazing! As usual, I always freeze my extra firm tofu first and then defrost it in the microwave until it's still just a little cold, but not frozen. Freezing it makes it much, much easier to drain and squeeze out the excess liquid. I chopped that up and threw it in the sauce for half the time that the chicken would cook. It really soaked up the flavor.

Also, I couldn't find any pappadams - is there anyone in Portland who can recommend a good place to find them?

On a last note, I have to say that neither my husband or I are cilantro fans, but I used it here in this recipe (in both the rice and the curry) and loved it. It really provided a freshness to the dish that was really unique.

I thought this was absolutely delicious, but I certainly think that two jalapenos would work! Maybe I cooked mine for too long and the spice went away, but I thought this needed that extra bite.

Regardless, it was delicious!