I have a few things in my kitchen that I've purchased recently for a meal or two, and don't quite know how else to incorporate them into recipes. I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions on how to use the following?

- red miso paste (used it for miso soup)
- green curry paste (used it for a stir-fry)
- wakame (dried seaweed)
- yellow hot-pepper paste

Thanks in advance!

How about you? Got any foods you're not sure how to use?

I use green curry paste as part of a marinade for chicken.

I combine the curry paste, some fresh squeezed orange juice, a little garlic, some green onions or shallot, and then thin it out with a little bit of olive oil and some water. You can really play with it and add or remove ingredients to suit your tastes, as well as your family's.

Sometimes I add mushrooms or some fresh green beans while the chicken is in the pan. Just depends on what's fresh and what I'm in the mood for.

It would also work for pork, I'm sure, if that's more your thing. I usually let it marinade in the fridge for a couple hours and then grill it or just throw it in a pan.

I use green (and red) curry paste fairly frequently in Thai type stir fry dishes and rice dishes. Green curry paste also makes a nice Thai chicken curry with coconut milk as the a base for the sauce. I add red peppers, baby sweetcorn and snap peas for colour (and to get veggies in, of course)

Sorry not use the others though.

Kitty

Curry paste lasts forever in the fridge, so you don't need to rush to use it.

The classic use for green curry paste is...green curry, with coconut milk and eggplant. Yum! Some of those light coconut milks aren't too bad, calorie wise, and you could thin it out with some stock.

I make a thai-style shrimp noodle soup with red curry paste. It would probably work with the green, too. I make a quick shrimp stock with the shells from my shrimp and some onion, and then add garlic, ginger, curry paste, soy sauce, fish sauce and let it simmer. Cook the shrimp in the broth and then pour it over rice noodles, thinly sliced mushrooms, bean sprouts and eat. It's extra-yummy when you garnish with lime, cilantro and sriarcha. It makes for a nice spicy soup that is quite low in calories. I bet you could throw some of your seaweed in too.

Here's a recipe for Mango-Cucumber Salad that uses green curry paste in the dressing.

Also, here's a fish recipe that uses green curry paste:

Fish in Coconut Milk
2 cups canned light coconut milk
1 tbsp olive oil
6 oz diced onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 chili pepper, seeded, ribs removed, and diced
1/4 to 1/2 tsp Thai green curry paste
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 lb firm white fish fillets (such as cod or halibut)

Heat oil in large skillet. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic and pepper and cook a minute or so longer. Remove from heat and allow pan to cool slightly. Add the Thai green curry paste and the coconut milk. Return to heat and bring to a low simmer (be careful not to overheat or the coconut milk will separate). Add the fish and simmer until cooked. Makes 4 servings at about 225 calories per serving. Serve over rice, if you want.