I had so many chances to try Thai curry when I was a kid, but I didn’t. My mom loved it, and often met up with her cousin, whose husband was from Thailand and knew the best L.A. spots for what I can imagine was some pretty solid, reasonably authentic (or at least less Americanized than most) Thai dishes. I was determinedly unadventurous. I refused to eat anything other than the chicken satay, and I was probably only okay with that because the peanut sauce reminded me of peanut butter. (I ate a lot of peanut butter as a kid.) It wasn’t until my teenage years, after we moved away from the city, that I finally realized what I had been missing. Siam Rice II‘s curries, in yellow, red, or green and poured over fluffy white rice, offered a creamy, fragrant, delicious respite from the otherwise homogeneous range of dining options in suburban Santa Clarita. In college, I made up for lost time by going out for Thai whenever I could. I was even lucky enough to enjoy the homemade curries made by a couple of friends’ moms who were actually from Thailand.
As much as I love Thai curry, I wanted to find a way to make it easily and quickly at home, so that I could have it any time I had a craving. The simplified version of yellow curry I’m about to share with you is not exactly authentic and probably not quite up to Thai mom standards, BUT it really is good…and easy! Here are a few cheats that make this curry a plausible weeknight dinner:
- First cheat: I buy premade curry paste. Have you ever tried making curry paste from scratch? I did once, and it took hours. To be fair, it probably took way longer than it should have because I had no idea what I was doing (I think it was even the first time I had ever used a food processor), but now that I’ve found Mae Ploy, I don’t need to know what I’m doing! You can get it for a couple dollars at an Asian grocery store, but if you don’t have one of those close by, you can get it on Amazon for a few dollars more. The stuff is pretty spicy and concentrated, so a little goes a long way. It will last you several months in the fridge.
- Second cheat: I par-boil the potatoes. That way, I don’t have to wait forever for the potatoes to cook in the curry. This is a big deal for me because I like the potatoes nice and soft.
- Third cheat: Coconut cream instead of coconut milk! I tried and failed to make curry multiple times with regular old coconut milk (and one time Trader Joe’s light coconut milk…don’t do it!) until a brilliant friend suggested that I pick up a can of coconut cream and use that instead. It’s more calorie-heavy for sure, but instantly creamy, and oh, so worth it.
recipe
Makes about 4 servings.
ingredients
- 1 T olive oil, canola oil, or coconut oil
- Half an onion, chopped
- 2-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2-3 small gold potatoes
- 2 carrots
- 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken, cut up into bite-sized slices
- 2-3 T of Mae Ploy yellow curry paste
- 1 can of coconut cream
- 1 T fish sauce (If you don’t have an Asian grocery store near you, you can get this at Whole Foods.)
- A handful of fresh basil leaves, for garnish
- Cooked rice (jasmine or basmati) for serving
instructions
1. Chop the onions, and mince the garlic. Slice carrots diagonally. Cut the potatoes into quarters. You can peel the carrots and potatoes first if you want to, but I usually just scrub them and leave the peel on. (Also: now is a good time to start cooking your rice!)
2. Boil the quartered potatoes in a pot of water for 5-8 minutes. When the potatoes are tender, but still a little firm, remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in another heavy-bottomed pot (I use my dutch oven), heat about 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook until browned, usually about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken from the pot to a plate and set aside.
3. Add the onions and garlic to the pot and saute for about 5 min. Add a little bit more oil, if it looks like it needs it.
4. Add the carrots and cook for another couple minutes.
5. Return the chicken back to the pot and stir in 2 tablespoons of curry paste (or add more or less to taste). Cook for another 2 minutes.
6. Add the coconut cream and fish sauce, and then add the potatoes. If the sauce seems too thick, feel free to add water to dilute it a bit.
7. Cook for 7 – 10 minutes, checking periodically that the veggies aren’t getting too soft.
8. Garnish with fresh basil and serve with rice. Done!
