Curry came into my life at a point where takeout was my daily dinner situation. I was the youngest cat lady there ever was; 22 years-old, rescuing abused shelter cats, working my first real job fresh out of University, and coming home too exhausted to move a muscle or muster dinner. I’d walk in the door, take off my heels, plop down on the couch, pull a cozy blanket over me, turn on some mindless TV and go through my delivery options for the night.
More often than not, Thai won the delivery dinner game because let’s face it; Thai food is hella good by ALL standards. And, also because I found their subtle blend of fragrant spices would warm me from the inside out. In a frigid place like Canada, where I was cold & freezing half the time, I craved rice and noodles along with rich sauces packed with veggies and protein at almost every meal. Pad Thai, Green Curry and Yellow Curry were my absolute favorites and were often the main line up.
It was slightly embarrassing to hear the familiar voice on the line start calling out my typical menu grabs before I even started placing my order. If there’s two things you can say about me: I’m constant and predictable- almost to a fault. “Ah-li-Da” as he would call me, “Your food will be there in 30-45 minutes, ok!”… We have your credit card info, the driver will call you when he’s downstairs. And, quite tellingly… if 3-4 days went by without me calling them; they thought “something had happened to me” and sounded overjoyed when I’d phone again. It was both; embarrassing and endearing…
Golden or yellow curry was such a treat- the least spicy of them all & so creamy and flavorful. I loved it because it reminded me of mom’s citrusy yellow curry chicken over rice, a beloved childhood meal.
The one thing I didn’t know, was just how much SUGAR & canola oil gets added into these sauces when prepped at restaurants. Here we are, eating all the food things, not truly knowing what goes into them. About two years ago, I started playing with curry at home and created recipes for green, red and now yellow curry. This is the first one I add to the blog itself, but definitely not the last.
You will find this recipe is:
- Comforting
- Dairy-Free
- Refined-Sugar Free
- Impossible not to love! 🙂
Creamiest Thai Yellow Curry
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons of yellow curry paste, highly reco Maesri (Kang Karee) OR the Thai Kitchen brand!
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric (sprinkle black pepper on it for easy absorption)
- 1 can + 1/2 can (14 oz each can) of coconut cream (thicker than coconut milk) but you can also use good quality coconut milk& remove the watery part/layer
- handful of cilantro (optional)
- 1 tablespoon of coconut or brown sugar or 1/2 tablespoon of raw agave syrup
- 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce
- 1 large white or yellow onion, finely sliced or chopped
- 2 shallots, finely minced
- 2-3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 2 packed cups broccoli florets or broccolini
- 2 packed cups cauliflower florets
- 1 cup of thinly sliced carrots
- 2 cups of sliced, baby bok choy
- 1 cup chopped red or yellow bell peppers
- You may also add baby potatoes or sliced mushrooms! delish.
- sea salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a soup pot at medium/high heat warm up your olive oil. Add the onions, garlic and shallots and stir until softened. IF you’re going to add chicken or tofu, now’s the time. Sauté the onion mixture, chicken & curry paste together. The chicken should sear & brown, takes about 5 minutes.
- Add ALL the veggies, coconut cream or milk and mix well. Simmer for ~20-25 mins or until veggies are tender & chicken (if added) is fully cooked. If you find the sauce is too thick, start by adding 1 tablespoon of water at a time to adjust to desired consistency.
- Add fish sauce, coconut or brown sugar, and fresh cilantro for a nice little kick!
- Serve over coconut rice, black or brown rice or garlicky quinoa or couscous!
By: Aleyda | The Dish On Healthy
