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Award-winning chef, author and forager Alan Bergo. Food is all around you.

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Chicken of the Woods Thai Red Curry

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I love a good curry, and chicken of the woods mushrooms make a great one. 

Sulphur shelf mushrooms have a flavor and texture reminiscent of chicken so they’re a shoe-in for a good mushroom curry. And they’re so good the carnivore in me doesn’t complain about vegetarian dinner. Here I’m using white-pored chicken of the woods, but yellow pored chickens and other wild mushrooms like hen of the woods, chanterelles, and lobster mushrooms would be good too. 

A decent bowl of Thai red curry is a pretty simple thing to make, but I don’t usually make it unless I have a couple specific ingredients.

The most important is some Thai red curry paste, and a couple of aromatics like lemongrass, galangal and lime leaves. If you have an Asian market near you these are pretty easy to come by. If you don’t just order some red curry paste online and skip the rest, if you have to.

Here’s a quick intro on the other ingredients in case you’re unfamiliar. I get mine from Dragon Star Oriental Market in St. Paul. 

Galangal 

I go out of my way to get a little galangal for all kinds of soups and curries I make with coconut milk. Galangal is a rhizome like ginger and wasabi. It’s hard to cut with a knife, and you won’t be eating it, but the lemongrass-meets-ginger flavor it gives to broths is fantastic.

Just like ginger, you can buy large pieces of galangal a store, cut them into chunks and store them in a bag in a freezer to pull out whenever you need. 

Lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves

Lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves.

Lime Leaves 

Kaffir lime leaves are easy to find if you have an Asian market near you. Sometimes they’ll be available fresh near the herbs and greens. If you can’t find them fresh most stores have small bags in the frozen section and they work just fine. You can also use fresh lime leaves off a tree, but the flavor isn’t exactly the same. 

Curry Paste 

thai red curry paste

I use the curry paste in a can as it’s what my great uncle who lived in Thailand for many years showed me. Making curry paste is an art form and I don’t usually try making it myself, although ramp leaves make a good green curry paste. 

Toasted Rice 

I like to serve it with rice, but not just any rice. Typical rice usually needs to be soaked or rinsed to remove some of the starch, but sometimes I don’t feel like doing that. 

Toasting rice in a pan before cooking

Toasted rice doesn’t need to be rinsed before cooking like regular rice.

A great hack you can use for cooking rice in general is toasting it before cooking instead of rinsing. Toasting the rice in a little oil (roughly two teaspoons per cup) before cooing gives it roasted, toasty notes. 

Beyond adding a good flavor, toasting also denatures the starch coating the grains, which means it cooks into perfect individual kernels every time. Even if you don’t like curry, try toasting rice sometime and thank me later.

chicken of the woods or sulphur shelf thai red curry

I like to serve curries with sauteed vegetables, rice, and a few extra fresh herbs. Toasted cashews are good too.

Also, if you have some chicken mushrooms handy, make sure to try my chicken fried chicken of the woods too, it’s a reader favorite here. 

chicken of the woods or sulphur shelf thai red curry
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Chicken of the Woods Thai Red Curry

A simple curry made with chicken of the woods mushrooms, coconut milk, aromatics and Thai red curry paste. You can easily double the recipe. If you don’t reduce it until it’s thickened, it makes a great soup. Toasted cashews make a great additional garnish if you have some. Serves 2 as an entrée or 4 as an appetizer
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Course: Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Thai
Keyword: Chicken of the woods mushrooms, Red curry
Servings: 2

Ingredients

Curry

  • 6-8 oz fresh tender chicken of the woods
  • 1 can high fat coconut milk
  • 1 cup vegetable stock or water
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 small yellow onion
  • 1 teaspoon minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon minced lemongrass
  • ¼ inch slice of fresh galangal optional but recommended
  • 2 fresh or frozen kaffir lime leaves optional but recommended
  • 1 large clove garlic
  • 1.5 Tablespoons canned red curry paste add this to taste, some may want more
  • Dash of fish sauce optional
  • 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup or sugar optional
  • A small handful of Thai basil cilantro, or culantro to finish, to taste, optional

Finishing and Serving

  • 1-2 teaspoons fresh lime juice to finish
  • Cooked rice see note
  • Freshly cooked vegetables

Instructions

Curry

  • Cut the chicken of the woods mushrooms into bite-sized pieces, then sweat in a sauce pot (2-3 quart capacity) until wilted. If the pan threatens to get dry, add a splash of water or stock.
  • Season the mushrooms with salt, push to the side of the pan and add the onion, garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes more.
  • Add the vegetable stock or water and cook 2 minutes more.
  • Crush the galangal with the back of a knife or in a mortar and pestle. Lightly crush the lime leaves in your palm to release their aroma.
  • Add the lemongrass, coconut milk, curry paste, maple or sugar, fish sauce, and kaffir lime leaves and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 20-30 minutes depending on how thick you like it.
  • Double check the seasoning and adjust until it tastes good to you. Add more curry paste before you would add salt, since curry paste from a can is usually very salty.
  • If the curry looks too thick, thin it with a bit of water or stock and double check the seasoning again before serving.

Serving

  • Right before serving, add a small handful of sliced or torn Thai basil leaves and the lime juice. Serve with rice, cooked vegetables, and a few extra torn leaves of thai basil, cilantro, or culantro.

Video

Notes

To make toasted rice 

To make toasted rice, take whatever white rice you like, such as long grain, and put it into a pot with high sides you can stir. Add 1-2 teaspoons of oil per cup, turn the heat to medium high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is lightly browned and smells toasty.
Doing this on the stove is imprecise and I usually have some kernels that are more brown than others, which doesn't bother me. If you want the rice perfectly toasted and even-colored, spread it out on a cookie sheet and bake it at 350 until very light brown. 

More 

Chicken of the Woods 

Related

Previous Post: « Sauteed Wild Mushrooms with Chevre and Wild Herb Flatbread
Next Post: Fermented Green Ramp Seeds »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bonnie C.

    July 23, 2022 at 5:10 pm

    If one had to use domestically-available mushrooms for this, what varieties would you recommend? Pre-pandamic I could get all sorts of interesting funghi at certain markets, but these days selections are limited. The usual white button & Cremini of course, followed by oyster & sometimes Maitake, Lion’s Mane, & very occasionally a few others.

    Reply
  2. Brunafish

    July 23, 2022 at 5:29 pm

    Mai take are good. In a pinch straw mushrooms from a can are just fine

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      July 23, 2022 at 6:05 pm

      There’s just something about straw mushrooms. Slightly slimy, yet inviting.

      Reply
  3. Harry Wininger

    July 24, 2022 at 8:08 am

    Looking forward to this one. I just found a perfect flush along with a bunch of chants. I actually made this dish last year or perhaps the year before and it does work brilliantly but I’m not the genius in the kitchen you are though so, yeah, pretty excited to give this a go.
    As ways, thank you for your inspiration.

    Cheers,
    Harry

    Reply
  4. Grace Parisi

    August 3, 2022 at 9:39 am

    Found my first cluster of chicken of the woods (in Brooklyn of all places) and cannot wait to try this recipe–looks simple, elegant, and delicious!

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      August 4, 2022 at 2:14 pm

      Thanks Grace.

      Reply

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FORAGER | CHEF®
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Author: The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora
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Alan Bergo
Sometimes I forget we have good traditions in Amer Sometimes I forget we have good traditions in America too. Case in point: bourbon. 

TIL about American traditions, and the role of the white oak in aging. Tasted some of that sweet nectar too. 

The rye finished in rum barrels smells like pure maple syrup 🤤. @angelsenvy

#bourbon #whiskeyrow #angelsenvy #whiteoak
Summer veg PSA: One of the edible plant parts I co Summer veg PSA: One of the edible plant parts I cover in my book you might not know are squash and pumpkin shoots. 

Tender and delicious, these are eaten around the world. The US is still coming around, but I see them occasionally at farmers markets. 

I like to give them a dip in boiling water to wilt them quick, then toss them with some fat or stir-fry them quick. The little curly-cues make them look like fairy tale veggies to me. 

#squashshoots #cucurbitaceae #eatmoreplants #kehoecarboncookware
Shaved cattail rhizomes with smoked trout, chickwe Shaved cattail rhizomes with smoked trout, chickweed, lemon, hickory nut oil and tarragon from the @wild.fed shoot. 

I spent a couple days trying to cook the rhizomes, and it works, but raw is my favorite prep. 

I add some smoked trout both for the salty pop and because it’s fun to mix aquatic edibles. Runner bean flowers for a splash of color. 

#cattails #foraging #chickweed #runnerbeans #saladsofinstagram
Long, fun day snatching crayfish out of the water Long, fun day snatching crayfish out of the water by hand with Sam Thayer and @danielvitalis for @wild.fed 

Daniel and Sam were the apex predators, but I got a few. 

Without a net catching crayfish by hand is definitely a wax-on wax-off sort of skill. Clears your mind. 

They’re going into gumbo with porcini, sausage and milkweed pods today. 

#crayfish #ninjareflexes #waxonwaxoff #normalthings #onset🎥🎬
Working all day on preps for cattail lateral rhizo Working all day on preps for cattail lateral rhizomes and blueberries for this weeks shoot with @wildfed 

Been a few years since I worked with these. Thankfully Sam Thayer dropped a couple off for me to work with. They’re tender, crisp and delicious. 

Sam mentioned their mild flavor and texture could be because they don’t have to worry about predators eating them, since they grow in the muck of cattail marshes. 

I think they could use a pet name. Pond tusk? Swamp spears? Help me out here. 😂

Nature makes the coolest things. 

#itcamefromthepond #cattail #rhizomes #foraging #typhalatifolia
I liked the staff meal I made for Mondays shoot so I liked the staff meal I made for Mondays shoot so much we filmed it instead of the original dish I’d planned. 

Cooked natural wild rice (not the black shiny stuff) is great hot, cold, sweet or savory. It’s a perfect, filling lunch for a long day of berry picking. 

I make them with whatever I have on hand. Mushrooms will fade into the background a little here, so I use a bunch of them, along with lots of herbs and hickory nut oil + dill flowers. 

I’m eating the leftovers today back up in the barrens (hopefully) getting some more bluebs for another shoot this week w @wild.fed 

#wilwilwice #wildrice #chanterelles #campfood #castironcooking
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