Attempt at Chicken Curry Soup

I looked at several recipes online and I wasn't truly satisfied with any of them, so I kind of came up with my own. 

Yes, I know. I should follow directions, and maybe I would be more happy with my work. I call this an attempt because while I found it edible, it was not quite what I was after. 

I used:
1 tbsp or so of corn oil
3 scallions (white and green separated), sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon yellow curry
1 sweet potato, cubed
Lemon Grass Paste
Ginger Paste
1 chicken breast, cubed
1 carton chicken stock
1 tbsp lime juice
1 c. Jasmine Rice

I started by cooking the rice (1 c. rice + 2 c. water). 

While the rice was cooking, in a soup pot I sauteed the white part of the scallions and the garlic for about a minute in the oil. I used just enough oil to get it going. Next, I added the bell pepper. After another minute or two, the lemon grass paste and ginger paste joined the party. About a 3 inch squeeze of each. I didn't really measure. Then, add in the curry paste, to taste. Careful because it can get spicy FAST! Continue cooking and stir frequently until you can smell the curry goodness! 

Next, I slowly stirred in the chicken stock. I added the coconut milk at this point, too, but I later thought that I should have done that later. (It's not a good idea to boil that, ya know.) I tasted at this point and it was little flat, so I added some salt and pepper. 

Next time, I will add the chicken and cubed sweet potato in after the stock. After the chicken and sweet potato are cooked, I will stir in the coconut milk.

I actually ended up stirring in a corn starch slurry in an attempt to make this a thicker soup, but I don't think that really added anything to it. 

Serve this soup over rice. 

No I don't claim this to be authentic to anything, but it's an authentic Kae experiment.  

Alligator Étouffée

I had a package of gator in my freezer that I needed to use up: 

So... I searched the internet and settled on making Gator Étouffée. I got the original recipe from here. The main changes I made were using a bit of Chachere's and cutting back on the celery because I don't care for it. Also, I added a bay leaf, and cut the butter in half. The original calls for TWO STICKS of butter. I'm sure it's yummy, but it was great without it. In fact, I may cut the butter back more if I were to make it again.   

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter (1 stick)

2 medium onions, chopped

2-4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped (optional)

1 (10 oz) Rotel Brand tomatoes

1 bay leaf

Chachere's or Salt, black pepper, and cayenne to taste

1 lb alligator meat, cut in thin strips

1/2 cup green onions, sliced

1/4 cup parsley, fresh (or 2 tbsp. dried)

Directions:

In a large pot, sauté onions, garlic, celery  and bell pepper in the butter until soft.

Add the Rotel and bay leaf simmer for 20 minutes, covered.

Add the alligator meat and cook over a low heat until tender for about one hour. If it thickens too much while cooking, add chicken stock or water. 

Add the green onions and parsley and cook 10 minutes.

Serve over rice.