It’s easy to fall into a weeknight cooking rut when time, energy and creativity are often at a minimum. I like to keep a collection of few-ingredient flavor boosters in my back pocket to shake up my standard recipe repertoire with minimal effort. Recent obsessions include anchovy butter, mustardchire sauce, and today’s featured booster: a quick mix of red curry paste and maple syrup.
Start with equal parts Thai red curry paste and pure maple syrup (please, no maple-flavored syrup), then adjust the balance to taste. Maple syrup lends a complex sweetness with notes of brown sugar and smoke while red curry paste provides a fresh, sour spiciness. Both ingredients hold well in the fridge, so you can easily whip up this sauce as needed.
Here are some ways you can put this mix of red curry paste and maple syrup to good use:
Glazed salmon. Evenly coat a skinless salmon fillet with the sauce, season with salt and pepper, and let marinate for 20 minutes. Drizzle with a neutral oil, then broil salmon until cooked through and glazed (5 - 7 minutes).
Roasted chicken. Whisk the sauce with olive oil, then rub all over chicken pieces or a whole chicken. Season with salt and pepper, the roast until cooked through (timing varies).
Roasted vegetables. Cut vegetables into even, bite-sized pieces, then toss with some of the sauce, olive oil, salt and pepper. Root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and parsnips pair nicely here. Also hard squash like butternut, delicata and kabocha. Roast until vegetables are fork tender (timing varies).
Check out the article below on Epicurious for additional two-ingredient flavor boosters.
The New Pantry Math | Epicurious