During college I studied abroad in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I spent the summer studying Thai culture, traveling the city with my sweet Lilo & Stitch scooter, and learning to cook Thai food. Prior to traveling to Thailand I had little to no tolerance for spicy foods. When eating at restaurants though where no one speaks English, the way you order is to point at a picture of a meal, and hope that that is what they bring you (although most of the time it wasn’t). By experiencing more and more meals that I essentially didn’t order I was slowly able to tolerate spicier and spicier food items. Although, word to the wise, if the color of a meal looks red hot, it likely is extremely spicy and will make your eyes water with just one bite. If that happens, and yes it happened a few times to me, stop and say sorry to your taste buds with some soothing mango and sticky rice.
Returning to the states, it took me nearly 3 years to find a restaurant that could remotely compare to “real” Thai food. It is a tiny food truck in Portland, Oregon near the nursing school that I attended. Their close proximity to my areas of study was very dangerous, yet very welcomed. There’s nothing like warm, delicious, authentic curry on a cold, rainy day to brighten your mood. Because I am a huge curry fanatic I love eating my curry like a soup with just a little bit of rice. This curry dish I am sharing with you all is a staple in our household. If you are looking for a warm, cozy meal for a night in or a meal to share with friends, give this curry a try!
