Kaeng Kari Kai (Thai Chicken Yellow Curry) Recipe

Why It Works

Coconut milk and a can of prepared curry paste provide the base for this mild, slightly sweet curry.
A side of ajat— a cucumber and jalapeno relish— adds optional heat to the curry.

Oh, this dish. It used to confuse me when I first came to the US and ate at a Thai restaurant for the first time. In ordering "yellow curry," I thought I was going to get one dish only to be presented with another. This is because nobody in Thailand calls this "yellow curry," and what we do call "yellow curry" is something entirely different. I quickly learned from this mistake.

(I was just thinking about this when I took a couple of friends who were visiting from Thailand to a Thai restaurant in Chicago several weeks ago. Unfamiliar with the US Thai restaurant terminology, they, too, were a bit confused.)

If your local Thai restaurant has opted for the designation, "Kaeng Kari," instead of the more common, "yellow curry," you know that both are the same dish (in the American context, that is). And if some restaurants have two dishes on their menu, both of which go by "yellow curry," pay attention to the descriptions.

When you buy the curry paste needed to make this recipe, make sure you don't end up getting the paste for the other kind of yellow curry. The two are neither similar nor interchangeable. And if Kaeng Kari is what you set out to make, using the wrong "yellow curry" paste will result in a sad, sad situation. I'll talk more about this in the actual recipe.

Kaeng Kari, as I much prefer to call this dish, is one of the milder Thai curries. It contains more of the dried spices typical of South Asian or Middle Eastern cuisines (e.g. Massaman curry) than the fresh and/or dried chiles that are typical of more traditional Thai curries (e.g. red curry). Most Thai kids love this curry as it's not hot at all.

To complement this curry, Thai people often serve a simple cucumber relish (ajat) on the side to add a little zing to a curry that, though delicious all on its own, intrinsically lacks the bold, herbal, spicy ingredients found in other curries. Thai restaurants overseas usually skip the relish, so if you're okay with serving this curry with no cucumber salad, that's fine as well. I personally find that the cucumber relish makes this curry exponentially better.

October 2012

This recipe originally appeared as part of Leela Punyaratabandhu's“My Thai”column that explored popular Thai dishes.

Active30 mins

Total30 mins

服务4 servings

An easy Thai yellow curry with chicken, potatoes, and a side of quick-pickled cucumbers and shallots.

1/2English cucumber
2 large shallots or1/2mediumred onion, peeled and sliced thinly lengthwise
1green or redjalapeñopepper, sliced thinly crosswise
1/2cupgranulated sugar
1/2cupwhitedistilled vinegar(no substitute)
2tablespoonswater
1/2teaspoonsalt
1/4cupkari (karee) curry paste(see note)
1 1/2cupsfull-fatcoconut milk
1poundlow-starch, waxy potatoes, peeled (optional) and cut into 2-inch cubes
1poundmedium yellow orwhite onions, peeled and cut lengthwise into 6 wedges
2tablespoonsfish sauce, or to taste
1poundboneless, skinless chicken breastsor thighs, cut into 2-inch cubes

Cut the half cucumber in half lengthwise. With the cut side down, cut each half crosswise into thin slices; place in a glass bowl. Add shallot (or red onion) slices and pepper slices to cucumber bowl; set aside.

Serious Eats / Julia Estrada
Combine sugar, vinegar, water, and salt in a small saucepan. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally until sugar has completely dissolved (the mixture doesn't have to be boiled), immediately remove from heat. Allow the sauce to cool down to slightly warmer than room temperature, then pour it over cucumber-shallot-pepper mixture. Stir, cover with a piece of plastic wrap, and keep chilled.

Serious Eats / Julia Estrada
In a 2-quart saucepan set over medium-high heat, heat about 1/2 cup of coconut cream (the thick part that rises to the top of the can) with curry paste. Once coconut fat splits, add potato, onion, remaining coconut milk, and fish sauce to the saucepan. Add just enough water, if necessary, to keep the ingredients submerged. Bring to a boil; cover, lower the heat so the mixture simmers, and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes cubes are softened, about 15 minutes.

Serious Eats / Julia Estrada
Add chicken to the pot. Bring mixture back to a gentle boil, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. Check for seasoning, adding more fish sauce if necessary.

Serious Eats / Julia Estrada
Serve with steamed jasmine rice and prepared ajat.

Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

Notes

Be sure to use the correct curry paste for this recipe. Look for the word "karee" or "kari" in addition to "yellow" just to be certain. There's another type of curry that is called "yellow sour curry." You want the former, not the latter. If there's no "karee" or "kari" on the label, hopefully there's a picture of the finished dish on it to help you. If you see chunks of potato in the picture, that's a good sign. The other kind of yellow curry doesn't contain potatoes.

Nutrition Facts(per serving)
598	Calories
22g	Fat
70g	Carbs
34g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	598
% Daily Value*
Total Fat22g	28%
Saturated Fat 17g	85%
Cholesterol72mg	24%
Sodium2033mg	88%
Total Carbohydrate70g	26%
Dietary Fiber 5g	18%
Total Sugars 34g
Protein34g
Vitamin C 31mg	155%
Calcium 100mg	8%
Iron 6mg	33%
Potassium 1376mg	29%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

华体会应用下载

Notes

More Serious Eats Recipes