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.
sana
I just made it and we loved it. My kids normaly dont like Thai food, but this dish they loved it. Thanks.
Sana
Sana
I will make this diss tonight for my and the kids.
I will let you know how the taste was. Keep up the good work.
Sana from the Netherlands
Rachel
Thanks for the feedback Dan. The amount of water really depends on how long you cook it for (and hence how much evaporates). If it's too thin, just leave the curry on the stove for a little longer when you have just the chicken in until it's the consistency you want - then you can add the veggies and season.
The best thing about cooking for yourself is that you can determine how thick you want your curry to be!
Dan
Just tried this reciped. It's not bad, but there seems to be too much water. It really dulls the coconut flavor.
Rachel
Rachel - sorry for not specifying the servings! Most recipes on this blog make 3-4 servings - one for me, one for the boyfriend, and one to two for dinner guests or lunch the next day.
Rachel
Reese - thanks for the opportunity to share it!
Rachel
How many servings are in this recipe? It looks delicious.
Reese@SeasonwithSpice
Hi Rachel,
We just want to say a big thank you for sharing this delicious Thai curry on Season with Spice for the curry event. We're sure many will find that it is not difficult to cook up a bowl of curry at all. This Thai curry is very similar to Malaysian curry too. The only difference lies on the fish sauce.
Love all your Thai recipes and stories!
Rachel
Hi Souda - yep, you're right about the curry and the noodles! the recipe for pad kee mao is actually coming up next...
Souda
ooooo yum! is this called " gang ga lee" ? I have to try this!!! how about drunken noodles? is that pad kee Mao ??
Rachel
Thanks everyone! Lisa - I also have a kaffir lime tree and love using its leaves as much as I can...
daryl
Making this right now with the addition of cauliflower. Smells great! @Sasha, the yellow curry is pretty much the Thai version of an Indian curry. Most people would describe it as "mellow" compared to the red or green. Make sure you taste first before adding sugar, since some of the pre-made yellow pastes can be cloyingly sweet to begin with.
lisaiscooking
The color looks so great! I just decided I want this for lunch. Love the sliced lime leaves on top. I have a tiny kaffir lime tree and love using the leaves!
kristina
I will absolutely be making this! Thanks for sharing!
Sasha @ The Procrastobaker
What a stupidly easy recipe! Thai curry paste is a great stand by to have for a quick but deceivingly tasty evening meal, and i have both green and red here but have never had the yellow version! if you could describe it, how would you say they compare? Lovely recipe thank you, will definitely try it out if i get my mitts on some yellow stuff!
Rosemarie
I've used red curry paste in the past because I myself can't find yellow curry paste. It still taste good, but I had to put half of what is called for as the red curry is too spicy for my family.
Sherri
You can buy the yellow at this place...Mae Ploy yellow curry is what we buy...it is very good...I have learned to make chicken curry and use the yellow...its fabulous!!! Hope you go and get some!!!