Thai Yellow Curry
with Pineapple and Shrimp and Cherry Tomatoes

Thailand is a foodie’s paradise. Not only does the variety and quantity of ingredients available set the country apart, but the range of cooking styles is equally impressive. And we discovered that it is a land of gourmets. Wherever they go, Thai’s will stop along the way to snack. From the streets of Bangkok to the rural highways, you do not have to go far to find a street-side food vendor making some kind of delicacy to an exacting standard. Many Thais love to cook, but like most of us in this modern age, don’t have the time to make a traditional meal every night. Instead of resorting to processed fast food or frozen dinners, however, many Thais hit the streets to put together a meal. They’ll visit a few different vendors and, in no time, can piece together a meal that would make any Thai grandmother proud.

While in Thailand, we had the honor of cooking with a Colonel in the Thai Air Force whose name was Oy. Oy took the time out of his busy schedule to make a traditional meal with us in his outdoor kitchen. We prepared many courses, starting with an appetizer of stir-fried morning glory greens and ending with sweet sticky rice and mangos for dessert. In true Thai form, Oy hit up a road-side vendor for roast chicken, but the coup-de-grace of our feast was the green curry that we prepared. Bursting with flavor, spicy and rich, I consider curries to be the pinnacle of Thai cuisine.

Thai curries have become one of my favorite dishes to cook (and for a while, they were the most aggravating). It has taken me three years to get them right, and along the way I have made many versions that left us all a bit disappointed. These attempts were palatable, and maybe even good, but something was eluding me—that something that made the curries “pop”. However, Angela kept encouraging me (given that Thai curries are one of her favorite things to eat and no restaurants back here in the US can ever seem to get them right). Eventually, I discovered the secret for the perfect curry: achieving a harmonious balance. My strategies may be a bit unconventional, but I hope you’ll find that the end result not only tastes authentic, but may offer some improvements over what you might have had in the past.

I break down Thai curry into the following categories: consistency, color, herb/spice character, heat (spiciness), vegetable preparation, meat preparation, and the essential balance between sweet, sour, salt, and umami (savory). Each of my curries, whether red, green, or yellow, begins with the same basic formula. From here, I tweak each of the categories until I get the perfect result.

Here are the basic steps I take when building a curry:

1. Begin with curry paste and equal parts of broth and coconut milk. Curry paste needs to be fried in oil—the high heat transform the flavors. If you want a creamier curry, add more coconut milk (even coconut cream). To make it thinner, add more broth. I generally use chicken broth for meat dishes and fish or shrimp broth for seafood dishes.

2. Check the spiciness early on. If you need more heat, add some chilies. Adding sweetness later on will cut the heat, so keep this in mind.

3. You can add something along the cooking process to enhance the color of the curry (paprika or chili powder for red, turmeric for yellow and fresh herbs at the end for green). I sometimes add another spice like ginger or coriander to slightly shift the flavor profile.

4. I prefer to cook some types of veggies in the curry (like eggplant and potatoes) while others I will stir-fry separately and then add them in at the end (such as onions). Use minimal amounts of oil in stir-frying.

5. Meat I generally marinade, grill, slice and add in at the end.

6. Begin to boost and balance the flavors by first adding sugar (palm or coconut sugar is traditional, but I also occasionally use brown sugar as a substitute). Then add salt (generally in the form of fish sauce, which is also savory) until you achieve a nice sweet / salty balance. Finally, add a bit of acid (usually lime juice) at the end to make it a little tangy or just ad a bit of zip—all the while tasting and adjusting until the perfect balance is achieved.

This is just a basic outline for making a generic curry, but I think it is more instructive than a specific recipe. Keep in mind that all of the ingredients in the recipe below should be adjusted to your taste. Hopefully these guidelines will help you to make the perfect curry, and allow you to improvise and formulate your own creations, adapted to your taste.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 T. oil
• 3-4 T. of yellow curry paste
• 1 - 12 oz. can coconut milk
• 12 oz. shrimp stock* (or substitute fish stock or chicken stock)
• 2 T. sugar (palm, coconut, or loosely packed light brown sugar)
• 2 T. fish sauce
• 1 T. turmeric
• 4 cloves of garlic
• Piece of ginger (about two fingers worth, skin removed) cut into several pieces
• 1 medium onion, sliced into slivers
• 1 T. oil
• 1 ½ c. pineapple (preferably fresh), cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 ½ c. cherry tomatoes, whole or cut in half, depending on size (preferably whole)
• Juice of 1-2 limes

Directions:

1. Sauté curry paste in oil until fragrant.

2. Add coconut milk and broth and stir. Bring to boil.

3. Reduce to simmer. Add sugar, fish sauce, and turmeric.

4. Simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Make a puree of ginger and garlic by blending with a minimal amount of water in a blender or food processor until smooth. Begin adding to the curry, one small spoonful at a time. Adding this puree at different times in the cooking process will impart slightly different flavors. Add a small bit throughout until the level of ginger satisfies.

6. Stir-fry onions in 1 T. oil for a few minutes, remove from heat before they become soft, and set them aside. Add pineapple and tomatoes to curry.

7. Cook for 5 minutes.

8. Add sugar, fish sauce, or lime to taste.

9. Add onions and shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes, until shrimp is cooked.

10. Garnish with cilantro and serve with steamed jasmine rice.