Missing that delicious yellow curry taste of Asia?

THIS week I was fortunate enough to eat at one of my now favourite Vietnamese restaurants in Battersea – Mien Tay… For many years living in London I have missed the punchy flavours of Thai, Vietnamese and Malaysian cuisine. But thankfully I now have a stable of restaurants close to me and a swathe of recipes I like to cook at home to keep the appetite satisfied.

Southeast Asian chefs and home cooks have mastered the art of balancing the sweet and sour elements of the ingredients to give the freshest seafood the justice it deserves. Pungent fish sauces blended with palm sugar, lime or fresh coriander are easily blended to transform a simple chicken thigh into heaven.

Our cold winters should not turn our thoughts away from the freshness of a Malaysian curry with sticky rice, but make us crave the aromas and flavours of coconut cream and roasted peanuts. Knowing how to cook these ingredients is simple and like with simple pasta dishes, a couple of trial and error nights with mates in the kitchen will have any doubts ironed out and mates wanting more (and more!).

Several Asian specialty stalls are popping up everywhere so lets get cracking on a tasty yellow Thai curry.

Investing in a good quality wok and a heavy based saucepan is a worthwhile purchase. And who knows, maybe you could soon be like the phenomenal David Thompson, whose London restaurant Nahm became the first Thai restaurant in the world to earn a Michelin star.

Here’s a few recipes to get your confidence going for the perfect Thai curry. Happy cooking!

Yellow chicken curry with Coconut rice

What you need:
4 chicken thighs without skin
1 white onion
¼ pumpkin medium diced
1 large red potato peeled and diced
1knob of galangal
2 tbls of yellow curry paste
1 small can of coconut milk
1 small can of coconut cream
½ a bunch of freshly chopped coriander leaves

What to do:
Heat oil in a pot over medium to low heat.
Sautée yellow curry paste and galangal with oil until fragrant.
Add coconut cream and continue simmer for about 4-5 minutes or until you can see the yellow oily part starting to separate.
Add coconut milk and chicken and continue simmering about 15 minutes. Then add potato and pumpkin diced. Continue cooking chicken and ingredients for 15 minutes, then add onions until all is cooked through.
Seasoning with palm sugar, fish sauce and a handful of freshly chopped coriander leaves

Coconut Rice

What you need:
2 cups Thai jasmine-scented white rice
2 cups good-quality coconut milk
1 3/4 cups water
2 heaping tbsp dry shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coconut oil, OR vegetable oil

What to do:
Rub oil over the bottom of a deep-sided pot. You will also need a tight-fitting lid.
Place rice, coconut milk, water, shredded coconut, and salt in the pot and set over medium-high to high heat. Stir occasionally to keep rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.
Once the liquid has been absorbed turn off the heat.
Slowly remove the lid and using a fork carefully stir the rice until it becomes fluffy and serve.
Place a generous helping of rice in a large bowl and top with your yellow curry garnished with freshly chopped coriander.