The Art of Food

Thai Red Curry Mac N’ Cheese (Recipe by Marina, inspired by Aarti Sequeira)

In honor of National Cheese Lover’s Day, this mac n’ cheese is killer!

Ingredients:

• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound macaroni (I used spirals)
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (4-ounce) jar Thai red curry past (I only had a little Thai red curry paste left so I combined it with Mild Curry Paste)
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups cream (alternatively, use 5 cups whole milk instead of both milk and cream) (Additionally, you can sub cream with sour cream or yogurt)
• 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
• 8 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated
• Handful of panko crumbs (Originally, you would combine another 2 tablespoons of melted butter with the crumbs but I thought this was already rich enough without the added butter so I used just the panko crumbs.)

To Make:

Preheat oven to broil.

Part 1: Cook pasta according to package, until el dente.

Part 2: Make the roux

1. In a large frying pan, melt 5 tablespoons butter on medium heat and carefully whisk in the 5 tablespoons of flour.
2. Continuously stir the roux so it doesn’t catch and start burning. Keep an eye on the heat level and if you feel like it’s starting to burn or isn’t cooking fast enough, either turn the heat down or turn it up a bit. Fire is your friend in this technique, use it!
3. Add the curry paste and continue stirring until fully integrated.
4. Add in the milk and cream and continue stirring.
5. Bring to a boil and immediately turn the heat down to a simmer.
6. Simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.
7. Take it off the heat and add the cheeses. Stir in until everything is a nice, creamy consistency. 

Part 3: Bake the mac n’ cheese!

1. Add the pasta to your baking dish.
2. Pour your cheese sauce over the pasta.
3. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Stir everything together.
5. Sprinkle over with panko bread crumbs.
6. Stick it in the oven on broil for a few minutes until everything is bubbling and brown and crispy.
7. Serve with some chopped chives or green onions or a squeeze of lemon juice. This addition really gives a nice punctuation to the dish and brings it to life!
8. Enjoy!