– I present your new favorite Thai yellow curry recipe! –
I have a curry recipe thing. I’m not particularly fond of spicy food, but curries are in a realm all their own. Something about the way the spices interact with your body results in the most amazing euphoria, one that I’ve heard referred to by zealots as the “curry high.” I tend to drink a little less vino these days, as my body prefers fewer inebriants as I get older, but this euphoria is a clean, pure foodie bliss without the risk of a hangover. Seriously, what more could you ask for?
Considering my curry passion, I was really surprised to see that I hadn’t posted my recipe here. I’ve made this for countless friends, and it is always the first thing people ask for when I invite them to dinner. “Are you making curry?” “Is it perchance a curry night?” Over the year I’ve learned to just keep coconut milk in the cupboard for impromptu curry recipe sessions, and it generally means that there is a steady stream of dinner guests brightening my doorstep.
If you’ve got them around, a handful of peanut sprouts sprinkled over the finished product adds an wonderful crunch and light peanut flavor. Sprouting instructions can be found here. They’re great on their own as a healthy snack too.
Warning: you and your guests may find this recipe addicting. I take no responsibility for the resulting barrage of curry requests once your guests have acquired the curry recipe bug.
Your New Favorite Thai Yellow Curry Recipe
If you're looking for a Thai yellow curry recipe, this is the one. Makes a great beef or tofu dish - or try it over chickpeas, vegetables or potatoes! Note: If you do not want to use fish sauce, feel free to substitute tamari, being careful to taste your curry as you add it – tamari is much saltier than fish sauce, and equal amounts of these condiments will yield two entirely different levels of saltiness. Kiboshing the fish sauce may cause the sauce to lose a touch of that “authentic” flavor, but will still be amazingly delicious. Also, I prefer to use whole toasted herbs that are then ground in a coffee grinder, but go ahead and use pre-ground herbs if you’re in a hurry.
Print PinServings: 8 servings
Calories: 270kcal
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons peanut or olive oil
- 1/4 large onion chopped
- 6 cloves of garlic finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground galangal or 1/4 fresh grated (if you’ve got it)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger or 1/4 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon dried, ground lemongrass if you've got it
- 1 1/2 tablespoons yellow curry powder (or to taste – this makes a not so spicy sauce)
- 24 ounces coconut milk (organic where possible)*
- 4 tablespoons fish sauce (to taste – I use Golden Boy brand, as it’s not too stinky)
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon shredded fresh turmeric root (optional)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, add onions* to about four tablespoons heated peanut, olive, or other cooking oil and cook until translucent. Add garlic and stir for a minute. Spoon in 1 1/2 tablespoons of curry powder and stir around for a second until it starts to turn brown.
- Immediately add coconut milk (have the cans open and handy!) and bring just to a boil, then lower heat to bring sauce to a simmer. Add fish sauce, and remaining spices. Let simmer for about ten minutes and taste. If you like, add more curry until it’s as spicy as you prefer.
- Add more fish sauce and a little salt if necessary (watch out for the salt… the fish sauce will usually take care of most of the saltiness). Let simmer until desired consistency and fish sauce flavor is not too fishy – I usually let mine simmer an hour or more depending on how I’m feeling that day.
- If the sauce is too thick, pungent, or spicy you can always add water or more coconut milk and then adjust other spices as necessary to taste. As you cook this sauce, it will turn a beautiful deep shade of ochre. I prefer to let it cook longer to increase both its thickness and aesthetic appeal.
- How do you tell when your curry is done? Dip a spoon in the sauce, blow on it to cool, and taste. Roll the curry over the back part of your tongue and search for a roundness of flavor. Not salty enough? Flavor a little flat? Missing “something”? Add another tablespoon of fish sauce or soy sauce (in Thailand, fish sauce is a condiment much like our ketchup – they add a lot to every dish). Not enough spice? Add another teaspoon of curry. Play with it, do what feels right.
- Once the mixture is as thick as you like, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir and pour over veggies, rice, or whatever you like.
- *Do not use “light” coconut milk, as this is simply watered down. If you prefer a lighter curry, save yourself some money and just use half or two thirds as much coconut milk, making up the remainder of the amount called for with water.
- **Try adding a chopped, seeded tomato and half a chopped mango with the onion for a sweeter curry. Mmmm!
Nutrition
Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 276mg | Fiber: 3g | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2.2mg
Vegetarian Stir Fry
This is my go-to vegetable stir fry. Freezing the tofu first creates a much more firm texture, essentially guaranteeing that it won’t fall apart during the cooking or mixing processes. It also becomes much more spongey, which I like. If you prefer the normal tofu texture, don’t freeze it and handle with care to keep it from scrambling after adding it to the vegetables. This makes a very large amount – feel free to half! Goes perfectly with the Thai yellow curry recipe above.
Print PinServings: 8 servings
Calories: 147kcal
Ingredients
- 1 package fresh organic firm tofu frozen and defrosted
- Garlic and wheat-free tamari or soy sauce for marinating
- 4 tablespoons peanut oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 5 large fresh basil leaves
- 2 stalks fresh lemongrass chopped into long pieces
- 4 whole kafir lime leaves
- 1 large zucchini chopped
- 2 cup mushrooms chopped/quartered
- 1 large crooked neck squash chopped
- 2 whole bell peppers sliced, (any color)
- Large mung or other bean sprouts
- 2 whole limes juiced
Instructions
- Defrost, drain, and press tofu until it’s quite dry, then cut into 1-inch cubes. Marinate in tamari and garlic overnight, then fry until crispy and set aside. Marinating your tofu in tamari generally means you don’t want to salt your veggies beyond the small amount of tamari that is added, as this will account for almost all the salt you will need.
- Heat oil in a wok, adding onions and cooking until translucent. Add garlic and cook for two minutes, then add basil leaves, lemon grass, and lime leaves, cooking for another 2 minutes. Sprinkle in a splash of tamari. Add mushrooms, cooking for 2 minutes, then add zucchini and squash, also cooking for 2 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with lime juice, retaining some for later. Add pepper slices and sprouts, cooking for just 1 minute – you want them to keep their crunch. Sprinkle liberally with lime juice, cook for another 1 minute, and remove from heat. Remove lemongrass stalks and lime leaves.
- Add tofu to veggies and douse liberally with curry sauce. Enjoy the euphoria.
Notes
Nutritional analysis for the vegetable stir-fry does not include soy sauce or tamari used to marinate tofu.
Nutrition
Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 448mg | Fiber: 3g | Vitamin A: 350IU | Vitamin C: 54.5mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 2mg
This content was originally posted on FearlessFresh.com.