I tasted Thai food for the first time when I was in college. I remember having Thai iced tea and loving how sweet and refreshing it was. Then I had tom kha gai and thought how unusual (and delightful!) it was to be sipping a spicy, tangy, coconut milk based soup. And I finished the meal with a bowl of yellow curry with chicken, which was so similar in some ways to stews that I had growing up, but was really so different.
The similarities were in the ingredients - chicken, potatoes, and onions - that form the base of a lot of western-style stews. The thickness of the curry is also similar to many stews and the spiciness of yellow curry is more subdued than many other Thai curries. I think this is why some Thai people say that yellow curry with chicken is a good dish for "farang" (the Thai word for foreigners) to start with.
Yellow curry is made in the same way that many other Thai curries are made. You start with thick coconut cream and heat it until the oil starts to separate from the milk. Then you add the curry paste and cook until it's nice and aromatic. You cook the chicken in this curry paste, then add more coconut milk, water, and the vegetables, and adjust the seasonings.
You're welcome to make your own curry paste, but the boyfriend and I have found that pre-made pastes generally work pretty well. Just be sure that you get a brand that's made in Thailand (our current favorite is Mae Anong, but you can see the full curry paste taste comparison here!). With a good paste like this, you should be able to produce a respectable restaurant-quality bowl of yellow curry.
I imagine that many "farang" are introduced to Thai food with yellow curry like I was. And it's a great place to start. It can open the doors to many other types of curries - some fragrant, some peanuty, some sour, all spicy - and from there to other combinations of flavors that Thai food is so famous for. So if you haven't made Thai yellow curry with chicken at home before, I hope you give it a try!
For some other great Thai curries, check out these recipes:
- Yellow curry with fried tofu and vegetables
- Green curry with chicken and eggplant
- Green curry with fish, eggplant, and green peppercorns
- Red curry with pumpkin
- Red curry with pork belly and water spinach
- Panang curry with thinly-sliced beef
And lastly, here is a simple tutorial for how to make Thai curries that covers everything from the most basic to the more complex. Happy curry making!
Recipe
Yellow Curry with Chicken and Potatoes | Gang Garee Gai | แกงกะหรี่ไก่
Ingredients
- 14 ounces coconut milk (1 can)
- 2 tablespoons yellow curry paste
- 1 cup chicken
- 1-2 cups water
- 2 medium potatoes
- ½ onion
- 1 cup baby corn
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Prepare your ingredients. Slice the onion, baby corn, and chicken into bite-sized pieces. Peel, cut, and parboil the potatoes for ~5 minutes. Set aside.
- Open the can of coconut milk and scoop the top thicker cream part into a pan (approximately ½ cup). Heat this cream over medium heat until the oil just starts to separate from the milk. Then add the yellow curry paste and saute with the cream until it becomes fragrant.
- Add the chicken, coat in the curry paste, and cook until it's done. Then add the rest of the coconut milk and water and bring to a boil. Let cook until the consistency of the curry is what you prefer. You can use less water if you want a shorter cooking time.
- Add the potatoes, onions, and baby corn and cook until just done, but still firm. Adjust seasonings with fish sauce and sugar to taste. Some curry pastes will not need any sugar or fish sauce, and others will need more than the amounts specified here.
- Garnish with thinly sliced kaffir lime leaves and red peppers, if you like. Serve with jasmine rice.
Ivonne
The most delicious and easy recipe Ive found
admin
So glad to hear it, Ivonne!
Tim
I suggest adding curry paste, fish sauce and sugar to the coconut milk at the very beginning & cook it down till the oil separates. Then add a more coconut milk & stock & vegetables. I think it enhances the flavor alot.
Rachel
Thanks for the suggestion, Tim!
Christine
I am allergic to Fish and cannot use fish sauce. Is their a substitute you recommend?
Rachel
Hi Christine, I'd suggest tasting the curry first -- many curry pastes are salty enough as is, so seasoning with fish sauce may not be required.
If the curry does need additional salt, I'd recommend just using some table salt or perhaps some store-bought (ie, salty!) chicken or vegetable broth. Thai thin soy sauce is also salty, but the soy flavor would not go very well in a curry. Soy and coconut aminos are also used as fish sauce alternatives, but I can't speak to their flavor in a curry either. If you do end up using one of these alternatives, let us know how it goes!
(Also, be sure to check the curry paste itself if you are allergic to shellfish as many include shrimp paste).
Ashley
@Jake - I agree that the recipe leaves out some details. It seems to be geared toward people with a bit of cooking experience, but I fit that category and can offer some advice so you can try out this recipe. I've made it a few times now and it is DELICIOUS. The thing with cooking is you just have to dive in and go for it, and figure things out as you go when it's unclear.
-Slicing is the right term. For the chicken I like to follow the technique in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb7jOCVEUec. After slicing the chicken I saute it in olive oil over medium-high heat until it's cooked through and light brown. I also season it generously with pepper.
-Parboil: It's a common cooking term but I wasn't familiar with it so I googled it. What I do is heat a pot of water to boiling, add the potatoes, and boil for 5-6 minutes. Then drain and rinse with cold water right away.
-Step 3 "cook until it's done" -- If you use my approach and cook the chicken as I described, then for this step all you have to do is stir it around for a minute or so until it's nicely coated in sauce.
-Step 4 "cook until done" -- Cook until they reach a consistency you like. For example, you don't want the onions to be completely crunchy, but you don't want them mushy either. This step is all about personal preference-- it's not like cooking meat where you have to reach a certain point for things to officially be done.
-Consistency of the curry - This is also a personal preference. I don't know how to describe a typical curry consistency-- maybe like Naked Juice if you've ever tried that? It should be thicker than water but not as thick as a creamy soup.
-"Use less water if you want a shorter cooking time" -- This doesn't change the consistency of the dish because the water will evaporate and the sauce will thicken. I prefer to use 1 cup.
-Amount of seasoning - you have to just taste it, add a little bit of something, and if you like how it changed then either keep it as is or add more of it. As Rachel said, it depends on the brand you use. I use Mae Ploy curry paste and I like to use 2 T curry paste when I mix it with the chicken and I add another 2 T at the very end. I also add 3 t of coconut palm sugar and a pinch of salt.
-Other tips: I like to add 1 cup of peas and corn.
Susan Jessie
Can this recipe be made a day ahead and reheated?
admin
Absolutely! It's probably even better the next day, as the flavors will have had time to really meld together.
Andrew
I generally avoid Thai recipes of American origin, most are just incorrect however I must compliment this collection and I recommend readers give them a go, the pork noodle soup is very good.
Jake F
Your pictures are beautiful but this recipe is not written in a way that will encourage success.
- You don't "slice" things into bite size pieces. So is it "chop", "dice", "mince"?
- If you are going to use a word like parboil then you should still give the instructions for performing the step.
- What does "cook until it's done" mean? You cook the chicken "until it's done" and then continue to cook it in liquid and more ingredients until they are done. Doesn't that make the chicken "overdone"? Give a description of doneness. Cooked through, firm or at a minimum a temperature or at least explain the process.
- Letting something "cook until the consistency of the curry is what you prefer" doesn't help if I've never made the recipe or had the dish before. Describing what's common or usual would help.
- Telling us to "You can use less water if you want a shorter cooking time." I've never in my been instructed by a recipe to adjust the amount of water in a recipe to shorten cooking time. How could that work without changing the consistency of the dish?
- "Adjust seasonings with fish sauce and sugar to taste. Some curry pastes will not need any sugar or fish sauce, and others will need more than the amounts specified here." Once again if I've never made or had the dish before I've no idea what to do here. Some sort of "common" amounts would be most helpful.
I really wanted to make this dish based on your pictures but unfortunately my funds do not allow me multiple tries to get it right. Damn good pictures though.
Paul
Hi Rachel
I've just made your yellow curry recipe and it tastes wonderful. I used Mae Ploy yellow curry paste as I couldn't find Mae Anong here in the UK.
Ive been visiting Thailand for 15 years and I lived there for 2 years, the taste and consistency is exactly what you get there.
Thank you and your husband for sharing.
Looking forward to try some more.
Rachel
Glad to hear it, Paul! Thanks for commenting!