Thai Red Curry Mac n' Cheese

I'm a HUGE fan of homemade baked mac and cheese, but then again who isn't? I happened to catch an episode recently of "Aarti Party" on the Food Network, where in which this dish was featured. I really enjoy the flavors of Indian food and wanted to give the recipe a try. So this dish made it's debut at my family's Christmas dinner this past weekend. It was fun because (except for my daughter and husband) the rest of the family didn't know there was a secret ingredient. They realized shortly into it that it did have a flavor kick to it. It was amusing to listen to them try to figure out what the ingredient was. My mother ended up taking home leftovers which surprised me, as she was the one I was worried wouldn't like it. I'm glad it was a hit though!

Ingredients:

Kosher salt
1 pound elbow macaroni
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (4-ounce) jar Thai red curry paste
2 cups whole milk
2 cups cream (alternatively, use 5 cups whole milk instead of both milk and cream)
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated
8 ounces Cheddar cheese, grated

Crumb Topping:

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Salt generously, and then add the pasta and cook to box instructions, usually 6 to 7 minutes. Drain.

In another large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and continue whisking until it deepens in color and releases a light toasted aroma, about 1 minute.

Whisk in the Thai red curry paste, and when fully combined, pour in the milk and cream (or all milk, if using). Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and then turn down to a simmer. Simmer until the mixture thickens, whisking occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Off heat, whisk in the cheeses and stir until melted. Add the pasta and toss to combine.

Turn your broiler on.

For the crumb topping: Toss the panko with the melted butter and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble: Pour the mac 'n' cheese into a broiler-safe casserole dish, sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture, and broil until browned, about 1 minute.


My amendments: I used maybe about 3/4 of the jar of curry. You can adjust to your liking. I didn't broil my end result. I had the oven on since I was making multiple things at once. I just popped the dish in and kept my eye on it. Maybe about 10-15 minutes.