Thai Yellow Curry
A delicious Thai Yellow Curry made from scratch, bursting with flavors, spices, and fresh ingredients for a comforting meal.
Ingredients
Curry Paste Ingredients
- 10 dried red chillis, chopped into 1cm pieces ~6cm/2.5" long
- 1-4 fresh birds eye chillis, deseeded, roughly
- 2 lemongrass stems
- 1 large or 2 small eschalots, roughly chopped (~1/2 cup)
- 2 tbsp fresh turmeric, finely grated (about 2cm/0.8" piece)
- 2 tbsp galangal, finely grated (about 2cm/0.8" piece)
- 8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1.5 tbsp Thai shrimp paste in bean oil
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 0.25 tsp ground cardamom
- 0.5 tsp fenugreek powder
- 0.125 tsp white pepper (or black)
Curry Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil (or canola or peanut oil)
- 1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 2.5cm pieces
- 1 small carrot, peeled and sliced into 5mm slices
- 1 cup chicken stock, low sodium
- 300 ml coconut cream / 10oz
- 4 tsp fish sauce, plus more to taste
- 5 tsp white sugar
- 2 tsp tamarind puree
- 350 g prawns, medium, peeled, tail on (optional) / 12oz
- 0.5 cup bamboo shoots, canned, drained
- 16 Thai basil leaves
- 1 red chilli, finely sliced (optional)
- 2 tbsp crispy fried shallots (optional)
- Jasmine rice
Instructions
Curry Paste Preparation
- Soak dried chillis in boiling water for 30 minutes, then drain, reserving the water.
- Taste the soaked chilli. If it’s too spicy, reduce the quantity used.
- Prepare lemongrass by removing the tough top and outer layers, then grating it.
- In a blender, combine chilies, lemongrass, and other paste ingredients with three tablespoons of soaking water. Blend until smooth.
Curry Cooking
- In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat and cook the curry paste for 3-4 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in chicken stock and simmer for 1 minute.
- Add tamarind, fish sauce, and sugar, stirring until well combined. Then, add coconut milk, carrot, and potato.
- Simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, until potatoes are nearly soft.
- Add prawns and bamboo shoots, cooking for another 3 minutes until prawns are just cooked.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Serving
- Transfer the curry to a bowl and garnish with Thai basil, fresh chilli, and crispy shallots. Serve with jasmine rice.
Notes
Adjust the number of chillis according to your spice preference. If you can’t find galangal, fresh ginger is a good substitute. Don’t skip the Thai basil; it adds a unique flavor to the dish. Always taste and adjust the seasoning to suit your palate.