Thai Coconut Curry

My husband and I (not to mention our 2 boys t00) love Thai food!  I've really been wanting to try to make some myself, but have been a little nervous.  So I thought I'd start out with something easy.  I originally found this recipe here, but I've made a few adjustments.  I made it with chicken rather than shrimp.  I like my curry to almost be like soup, but this recipe (or maybe just my following of it) had too much vegetables and not enough sauce.  Perhaps the chicken soaked in too much of the sauce, but either way I'd rather have 1/2 the sauce and less of the veggies.  Other than the plethora of vegetables, it actually turned out really good.  Making this has definitely given me the confidence to make more Thai food in the future.  I'm so excited!  Usually I would just give you the link to this recipe, but since I've made changes, I decided to include the whole thing the way I'd make it again.

• Salt & Pepper
  
• About 2 Tbsp olive (or vegetable) oil
  
• 1 lb chicken (or shrimp or beef tenderloin), cut into thin strips
  
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
  
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  
• 1 small Japanese eggplant or 1/3 of a big eggplant, diced
  
• 1 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
  
• 1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
  
• 1 cup Thai basil leaves, torn into little pieces (you can omit this if you can't find any)
  
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (add a bit at a time to taste)
  
• Rice (Japanese or Basmati)

In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat.  Season chicken (or shrimp or beef) with salt and pepper and add to skillet, cooking until almost cooked through. (For shrimp, that is when it starts to get pink and opaque, but don't let it get cooked all the way through or it will be over-cooked and rubbery later).  If using shrimp, remove from pan for later.

Put eggplant in skillet and cook until slightly softened.  Add onions, bell pepper, salt and pepper and cook until crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Add curry paste and cook, scraping the bottom of the skillet, about 1 minute.
Return shrimp to the skillet and add coconut milk.  Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in basil and lemon juice (but be sure to add gradually and taste as you go - I found 1 Tbsp to be too much for my liking!  If you do happen to add too much lemon juice, add a little sugar and it'll tone it down a bit.) and season with salt and pepper.

Serve with Japanese (or Basmati) white rice.