Yellow Beef Curry (Kaeng Karii)

This is very similar to the Yellow Chicken Curry posted earlier. The major difference with this recipe being that the curry paste is made from scratch. Carrots aren't included, but could be added easily. It's definitely labor intensive, but the curry paste can be frozen and saved for up to three months.

Prep. Time: 1.5 hrs
Cooking Time: 2 hrs.
Servings: 6-8


Ingredients:

Paste
2 medium shallots
2 heads of garlic
1 x 3" piece of galangal peeled and sliced thinnly
1 x 2" piece of ginger peeled and sliced thinnly
15 dried Thai chiles
1 tsp corriander
2 Tbsp tumeric
2 Tbsp mild yellow curry powder
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro roots
2 Tbsp shrimp paste
1 + 1/2 Tbsp salt
6 stalks lemon grass, chopped
1 lime, juiced

Curry
1.5 lbs beef chuck cut into 1" pieces
3 large Yukon potatoes cut into 1.5" pieces
3 cups coconut milk (UHT from a carton)
1 cup coconut cream (UHT from a carton)
3 medium shallots, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp grated palm sugar
1 Tbsp fish sauce

Bring the beef and coconut milk to a boil and simmer over low heat for 1 hr.

Boil the Thai chiles in 2 cups of water for 15 minutes. Drain the water, reserving 2 Tbsp of the liquid, and set aside.

Once the chiles are done, heat the coconut cream in a large pot for 30 mins.

While the beef is simmering, the chiles are cooking and coconut cream is heating work on the paste.

Begin by wrapping 2 shallots and 2 heads of garlic in aluminum foil.

Place them in a large pot or skillet over medium high heat for 25 minutes, turning once.

While the garlic and shallots are cooking, peel and slice the ginger and galangal.

Place the sliced ginger and galangal in a single layer in aluminum foil and wrap.

Once the garlic and shallots are done, remove them from the pot and replace them with the ginger and galangal. Cook, flipping once, for 7 minutes.

While the ginger and galangal are cooking, peel the garlic and shallots.

Place the cooked chiles, ginger, galangal, shallots and garlic in a blender along with the reserved chile water, corriander, turmeric, curry power, cilantro roots, shrimp paste, salt, lemon grass and lime juice in a blender and pulse until smooth.

Once the beef is done, remove it from the coconut milk and reserve 1.5 cups of the milk. Everything should now be ready to make the curry itself.

Add 1 cup of the curry paste to the coconut cream and cook for 7 mins. over medium heat.

Add the reserved coconut milk, 3 cups of chicken broth, beef, shallots and potatoes.

Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 40 mins.

Remove from heat and add the palm sugar and fish sauce.

Serve over rice.

Thai Red Curry

This is fairly similar to the yellow curry recipe, only less sweet and a lot hotter. Like the previous recipes, the hardest part may be finding a good curry paste. If you can find one, it definitely makes things easier.

Prep. Time: 10 mins.

Cooking Time: 20 mins.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Fresh chopped Ginger

1 Tbsp Fresh chopped Lemon Grass

1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

15 oz can of coconut cream

15 oz can of coconut milk

4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

2 tsp fish sauce

5 Tbsp red curry paste

2 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp Paprika

1 Chopped Red Bell Pepper

1 Chopped Green Bell Pepper

4 large Carrots

2 Tbsp Lime Juice

2-3 Chicken Breasts (optional)

Directions:

Bring water to a boil in a vegetable steamer.

Dice carrots in 1/2" pieces and chop the bell peppers.

Steam the carrots and bell peppers for 5 mins. and set aside.

Saute the Ginger and Lemongrass for 3-5 mins. in the vegetable oil.

Put the coconut cream in the pot and fry for 3-5 mins. stirring continuously, until the oil begins to separate out.

Add the stock, red curry paste, fish sauce and paprika and stir fry for another 1-2 mins.

Add the peppers, carrots and coconut milk and bring to a boil.

Add the sugar and lime juice and simmer for about 5 mins.

Serve over rice.

Cooking the Chicken:

If you're adding chicken, simply cut the chicken breasts into thin slices and cook in a frying pan with a little olive oil. The chicken can then be added in to the curry with the individual servings.

Thai Drunken Noodles

This is a spicy Thai dish that's served over Banh Pho or Rice Noodles. You can mix and match a wide variety of vegetables, as well as adding in chicken or shrimp if you're a meat eater. The combination of basil, jalapeno and soy sauce gives it a delicious flavor. Usually I triple the recipe below so the sauce lasts a few days.

Prep. Time: 15 mins.
Cooking Time: 15 mins.
Serves: 2-3
Wine Recommendation: Sauvignon Blanc

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1/2 lb Banh Pho
3 Ears Baby Corn cut lengthwise, then in half
1 Package Fresh Basil
1/2 lb Shrimp or Chicken (optional)
1/2 tsp White Pepper
2 Cloves Garlic minced
1/3-1/2 of a Large Jalapeno Pepper Sliced
2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 1/2 tsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Fish Sauce (or additional soy sauce if fish sauce is unavailable)
2 tsp Sugar
4 Tbsp Water
1/4 tsp Vinegar
6 Shitake Mushrooms cut into thick slices.
1 Medium Carrot cut Julienne.


Directions:

(Note: If cooking with chicken, you can serve on the side, or saute separately in vegetable oil and soy sauce.)

Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok.

Add the garlic and jalapeno slices and saute on medium heat until the garlic is browned.

Add the shrimp, carrots, mushrooms, baby corn, white pepper and water and cook about 10 mins. until the mushrooms become soft and the shrimp starts to turn pink.

Add the oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar and cook for 2-3 minutes longer.

Add the basil and vinegar and cook until basil wilts.

Serve over banh pho.

Yellow Curry with Tempura Scallops

This is a little bit of a twist on the traditional yellow curry, in that it uses baby bok choy and scallops. This one turned out much better than the one posted several weeks back. If you prefer your curry a little thinner, replace the coconut cream with coconut milk.

Prep. Time: 30 mins.
Cooking Time: 50 mins.
Servings: 4-6


Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Fresh chopped Ginger

1 Tbsp Fresh chopped Lemon Grass

4 Cups Vegetable or Chicken Stock
4 Carrots
16 oz. Baby Bok Choy
2 Med. Potatoes (about 24 oz)
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 tsp Fish Sauce
15 oz. Coconut Milk
15 Oz. Coconut Cream
5 Tbsp Yellow Curry Paste
2 tsp Tumeric
2 tsp Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Lime Juice

12 Large Scallops
5 oz Tempura Flour
7 oz water
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp White Pepper


Directions:

Bring water to a boil in a vegetable steamer.

Dice carrots in 1/2" pieces, steam for 5 mins. and set aside.

Cut bok choy into 2" length-wise pieces, steam for 3 mins. and set aside.

Cut potatoes into eighths, then into thick slices, steam for 15 mins. and set aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large pot and saute Ginger and Lemon grass for 3-5 mins.

Add curry paste, coconut milk, coconut cream, turmeric and stock and bring to a boil.

Add the potatoes and carrots and cook on low heat for 5 mins.

Add the sugar and lime juice and simmer for about 5 mins.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine the tempura flour, salt, white pepper and cold water together in a bowl and stir until smooth.

Heat 2 Tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan.

Dip the scallops in the batter and place in the frying pan.

Cook for 5 mins., turn and cook for 5 more minutes.

Remove scallops from frying pan.

Place approximately 4 pieces of bok choy in each serving bowl, add rice, curry and 2 to 3 scallops.

Yellow Chicken Curry (Gaeng Garee Gai)

This is a relatively simple Thai dish that's not lacking in flavor. The hardest part may be finding a good yellow curry powder. You'll almost certainly have to go to your local Asian grocery store for this. If you have no other option, there are a few recipes for making the powder on-line.

Prep. Time: 10 mins.

Cooking Time: 20 mins.

Wine Recommendation: Gerwurtztraminer

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Fresh chopped Ginger

1 Tbsp Fresh chopped Lemon Grass

1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

15 oz can of coconut cream (get the good kind like Goya brand)

15 oz can of coconut milk

4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

2 tsp fish sauce

5 Tbsp yellow curry paste

2 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp Turmeric

2 med. potatoes

4 large Carrots

2 Tbsp Lime Juice

2-3 Chicken Breasts (optional)

Directions:

Bring water to a boil in a vegetable steamer.

Dice carrots in 1/2" pieces, steam for 5 mins. and set aside.

Cut potatoes into eigths, then into thick slices, steam for 15 mins. and set aside.

Saute the Ginger and Lemongrass for 3-5 mins. in the vegetable oil.

Put the coconut cream in the pot and fry for 3-5 mins. stirring continuously, until the oil begins to separate out.

Add the stock, yellow curry paste, fish sauce and turmeric and stir fry for another 1-2 mins.

Add the potato, carrots and coconut milk and bring to a boil.

Add the sugar and lime juice and simmer for about 5 mins.

Serve over rice.

Cooking the Chicken:

If you're adding chicken, simply cut the chicken breasts into thin slices and cook in a frying pan with a little olive oil. The chicken can then be added in to the curry with the individual servings.