This dish has me reminiscing about my pre-kid life and the freedom that I DEFINITELY took for granted. Don't get me wrong, life with my sons is 1,000,000,000 times more fulfilling and wonderful than I could have ever imagined. But being a parent means making sacrifices, and one of the big ones for us is not being able to hop in the car and drive to our favorite restaurants whenever we feel the urge. Going out these days means either a.) taking the kids with us to eat at 5:30 in a huge rush under lots of stress and never having much fun or b.) hiring a pricey babysitter and spending $$$ on a meal that often times is not worth the $$$. Although we do squeeze in date nights at our favorite spots for sanity's sake, I sometimes prefer to recreate our favorite restaurant dishes at home. This recipe is inspired by the yellow curry at Thai Dee, a hole in the wall that Tobin and I used to frequent all of the time before the boys were born. When you pull up to the restaurant (on Blanco Road here in SA), your first impulse may be to keep driving... it's not much from the front and shares a spot in a strip center with a very sketchy looking gas station. However, once you walk inside you will see that it's packed with happy diners eating fresh, delicious Thai standards. The yellow curry is one of our favorites- it's milder than most of the curries on the menu and features tender chicken, crunchy peanuts, creamy potatoes and avocados all bathed in a vibrant yellow coconut sauce. I've recreated their curry using store bought curry paste, but feel free to make your own! More power to ya'! And if you can't find yellow curry paste, use red or green but remember that they may be a little spicier. The full fat coconut milk makes this curry extra creamy. You can use this recipe as a platform for any version of Thai curry you like- red curry paste would be delicious with beef and broccoli, while green would pair perfectly with shrimp and snap peas. Just be wary of cooking times- you definitely would want to add shrimp and quick cooking vegetables in towards the end of the process. Hurry, hurry and make this curry!
*prep time: ~30 min. *cook time: ~40 min. *serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin slices
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp curry powder
1 garlic clove, grated
1-1" piece of ginger, peeled and grated
2 tbsp avocado, peanut or canola oil (divided)
1/2 red onion, sliced
1/4 cup yellow curry paste (I like Mae Ploy brand)
2 small yukon gold potatoes, diced into 1" pieces
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves and stems, chopped
1 can full fat unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup trimmed green beans, cut into 2" pieces
1 rounded tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp fish sauce
FOR SERVING
sliced avocado, lime wedges, chopped peanuts, more cilantro, and cooked white or brown rice
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine the curry powder, salt, garlic, ginger, and 1 tbsp of oil in the bottom of a medium bowl and whisk to make a paste. Add the chicken, toss to coat, and allow to marinate at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours covered with plastic wrap in the fridge. Heat the remaining oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken and the curry paste and stir to combine, cooking about 3 minutes more until curry paste is starting to caramelize and chicken is beginning to turn opaque. Add the potatoes, peppers and chopped cilantro and stir to combine. Pour in the coconut milk and chicken stock and mix to incorporate. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat, cover the pot, and let the curry simmer 20 minutes. Add the green beans, sugar and fish sauce and simmer uncovered another 10 minutes. At the end of the cooking time, the chicken should be cooked through, the potatoes should be tender, and green beans should be al dente but still bright green. Serve over rice with garnishes if desired.
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