For those of you who might not know, I am a professional food stylist – aka one of the luckiest people on earth. That’s just my opinion.

But it’s an accurate one.

I am so blessed to do what I do. Working on location shoots has given me some of the best (and worst) life experiences, both of which are also some of the funniest. You never know what a client is going to ask you to do with their food and a good stylist is able to think creatively under pressure to make it happen. Which might just include erecting scaffolding out of popsicle sticks, cardboard and duct tape to hold a 16” club sandwich vertical for an hour. After that, I almost wanted to include an astoric on my resume outlining my qualifications as a sandwich structural engineer, but then I thought back to the experience of painstakingly gluing every popsicle together and decided that some skills are better left unmentioned.

A few weeks ago I was on a shoot and a client told me about a restaurant in town that combines Asian and Mexican cuisines. I know what you are thinking, because my mind went there too. The more I thought about it, however, the more intrigued I became with the idea. Mixing sweet with savory in a fresh, east-meets-west sort of way really started whetting my appetite. So I went home and thought up these little beauties.

And man, what a treat!

These tacos make me think, in one simple word, summer. The red curry-based sauce with added sweetening agent give this dish a spicy-sweet, stick-to-your-ribs sustenance. Which is important to me – I don’t play around when I eat. A nice little delicate sandwich is a cute idea, but I want to feel like I’ve accomplished something when I push away from the lunch table. This sauce, with the hearty chunks of chicken, gave me that feeling.

Mission accomplished.

It’s still summer though, so I needed to lighten the experience of this recipe with something a little more approachable for the hot days. Crisp, fresh veggies cooked just enough to take away the raw flavor were the perfect balance. Toss in a few dashes of fresh lime juice, and a few fresh basil leaves, and I had myself a winner. Take it from me, do not forget the citrus here – it’s a powerhouse in this recipe for bringing out the fresh flavors of the veggies. So here’s a hat tip to bringing the east to the west, and having a nice lunch together. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Coconut Curry Sauce

• 1 Tbsp Oil – I used coconut oil
• 2 Shallots, minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 2 Tbsp red curry paste
• 1 – 14 oz. can regular coconut milk
• 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp red pepper chili flakes
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

Tacos

• 4-6 flour soft taco tortillas
• 1 Tbsp Oli
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
• half an onion, chopped
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 cup red cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
• 1 cup asparagus, chopped
• Optional: Limes, fresh basil, and sesame seeds for serving

Instructions:

1.) In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add shallots and ginger and cook 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently to keep from burning.

2.) Add Chicken and cook until no longer pink in the middle, about 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

3.) Lower heat to medium-low, and add curry paste. Cook two minutes, stirring vigorously to fully coat chicken with the paste, then add coconut milk, sugar, pepper flakes and paprika.

4.) Allow mixture to simmer for 10 mins, while prepping the veggies. Don’t be afraid to allow the sauce to simmer – we want it to reduce to about 1/2 – 1/4 its original volume to concentrate the flavors.

5.) Steam asparagus and broccoli until softened but still firm to the bite. The colors should be bright and fresh. Shred the cabbage and carrots.

6.) Assemble your tacos to your linking – Enjoy!

Print Pin

Thai Soft Tacos

These tacos make me think, in one simple word, summer.

Author Sarah Seddon

Ingredients

Coconut Curry Sauce

• 1 Tbsp Oil - I used coconut oil
• 2 Shallots minced
• 1 Tbsp fresh ginger minced
• 2 Tbsp red curry paste
• 1 - 14 oz. can regular coconut milk
• 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp red pepper chili flakes
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

Tacos

• 4-6 flour soft taco tortillas
• 1 Tbsp Oli
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
• half an onion chopped
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 cup red cabbage shredded
• 1/2 cup carrots shredded
• 1 cup asparagus chopped
• Optional: Limes fresh basil, and sesame seeds for serving

Instructions

• 1.) In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add shallots and
• ginger and cook 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently to keep from burning.
• 2.) Add Chicken and cook until no longer pink in the middle, about 5 minutes. Salt and
• pepper to taste.
• 3.) Lower heat to medium-low, and add curry paste. Cook two minutes, stirring vigorously
• to fully coat chicken with the paste, then add coconut milk, sugar, pepper flakes and
• paprika.
• 4.) Allow mixture to simmer for 10 mins, while prepping the veggies. Don’t be afraid to
• allow the sauce to simmer - we want it to reduce to about 1/2 - 1/4 its original volume to
• concentrate the flavors.
• 5.) Steam asparagus and broccoli until softened but still firm to the bite. The colors should
• be bright and fresh. Shred the cabbage and carrots.
• 6.) Assemble your tacos to your linking - Enjoy!

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Articles by Sarah Seddon

Sarah Seddon

Sarah Seddon is a professional food stylist and photographer, with an over-developed love for food and an insatiable curiosity for creating new things. When these powers combine in her kitchen she can’t help but share them with others. Growing up in a family directly involved in agricultural production, Sarah cultivated a perspective towards farming and food that is becoming more unique in our culture today - a perspective that appreciates the reality of what farmers and food producers do. Throughout her time as a food stylist, Sarah has worked on projects ranging from magazines and editorials, to restaurants, to commercial food manufacturing companies and The Food Network. When she is not styling food or taking pictures, you can find her riding her horse Eli, kayaking, or traveling.