Mangoes at sunrise

Passport & Plate - Kaeng Ka Ri Gai (Yellow Curry with Chicken)

Thailand | Wednesday, February 4, 2015 | 5 photos

Ingredients
Curry Paste:

3 dried red chillies (soak in cold water for 15 minutes before pounding)
1 tbsp chopped shallots
1 tsp chopped galangal (also known as 'Siamese Ginger')
1 tbsp chopped lemongrass
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 tsp roasted cumin seeds
1/4 tsp roasted coriander seeds
1 tsp chopped turmeric
1 tsp yellow curry powder
1 tsp chopped ginger

Other ingredients:

70 grams sliced chicken
1 cup coconut milk
1.5 cups water
1 cup chopped potatoes
1/3 cup sliced onions
1 stem spring onion
1 tbsp fish sauce OR soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

 

How to prepare this recipe
Curry Paste:

1. Put all ingredients in mortar
2. Pound with pestle until everything is thoroughly mixed and ground

Yellow Curry:

1. Put half cup of coconut milk in a pot and heat until boiling
2. Add chicken and curry paste
3. Stir until chicken is almost cooked
4. Add water, onions, potatoes and the rest of the coconut milk
5. When potatoes are cooked, season with the fish/soy sauce, sugar and salt
6. Add spring onions
7. Serve with steamed rice

 

The story behind this recipe
Whilst travelling in Southeast Asia I went on a number of cooking courses as I love learning what goes into the dishes that I am tasting and about the history behind them. One of my favourite courses was in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand, which took place outside of the city on a nearby farm where we got to learn from a wonderful woman who grew up a farmer's daughter about each ingredient used in the dishes we were to cook. I was particularly keen to cook this Yellow Curry recipe as I had had it for dinner a few nights before from a street vendor selling curries out of big steel drums. The aromas of the spices alone took me straight back to that warm evening in the vibrant city - it still does to this day each time I make the dish for my family, my friends and myself. There were many phenomenal dishes that I tried while travelling through Thailand, Cambodia and Laos during that trip, but this one brings back a particularly visceral memory of that first time I ate it and the feelings of happiness and delight I felt that night surrounded by the sights and smells of the city I was in.