This earthy and rich Vegetarian Thai Yellow Curry is loaded with hearty vegetables and a ton of amazing flavor!
I classify most types of curries as comfort food; especially if they are rich, thick, super flavorful and served over steamed jasmine rice. Thai curries certainly fall under that category, including this decadent Thai Yellow Curry.
Yellow Curry gets its bright yellow color and earthy flavor from turmeric. The flavors of turmeric pair so well with vegetables, and can also be paired with fish or chicken.
This vegetarian version of yellow curry is loaded with hearty vegetables like cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, green beans, and baby corn.
This recipe is versatile enough to take on most types of vegetables so if you are looking to use up those vegetables you have in your fridge, making yellow curry is a good solution. Some examples of vegetables you may wish to use in this recipe are bell peppers, tomatoes, sweet potato, broccoli, and bamboo shoots.
How to Make Thai Yellow Curry
Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil (Coconut oil is perfect in this recipe) over medium-high heat, followed by 1 small onion (sliced) and 3 cloves of garlic (minced).
Stir frequently for about 1 minute to allow the onion slices to soften.
Add 2 small potatoes (cut into large cubes) and 2 carrots (peeled, then cut into small chunks) into the wok.
The carrot pieces should be approximately the same size as the potatoes so they cook evenly.
I recommend using Yukon Gold potatoes in this recipe. They have a slightly firmer texture and won't get all flakey and fall apart in the curry.
Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Add 2 cups of cauliflower florets to the wok.
The cauliflower florets should be fairly small. Small enough to be considered bite-sized.
Stir-fry for about 1 more minute.
If the wok starts to get a bit too dry as you add these vegetables, add a splash of cooking oil (or water) as needed.
Add 1 cup of green beans (cut into 1-inch pieces) and 1 ½ cups of baby corn (cut into approximately ¾-inch pieces) to the wok.
Add 2 tablespoons of water to help steam the vegetables.
Add 2 tablespoons of Thai yellow curry paste to the vegetables.
Click HERE for my homemade Thai Yellow Curry Paste recipe.
Making your own Yellow Curry Paste is super easy and takes just a few minutes!
If you wish to use store-bought Thai Yellow Curry Paste, I recommend using either Mae Ploy or Maesri brands of Thai curry pastes.
Give all of the vegetables a good stir to coat them all in that yummy yellow curry paste.
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Stir in 1 can (14-oz) of coconut milk...
...and 1 ½ cups of water.
At this point, your yellow curry will look more like a soup, but don't worry; it will thicken up as it cooks.
Turn the heat down to low, and allow the curry to simmer for 10 minutes. This will allow all of the vegetables to cook through.
Do a taste-test on a potato or carrot. They should have a soft texture; not too crunchy.
If the vegetables are still not soft enough, add more water to allow the curry to simmer for a longer time.
When all of the vegetables are tender, add the final flavor elements:
2 teaspoons of fish sauce...
1 ½ tablespoons of brown sugar
...and 1 teaspoon of salt.
(I use pink Himalayan salt which is why it has a pinkish hue in the photo below.)
Give the curry a good stir to blend all the ingredients.
Garnish with roasted cashews, fresh basil, and cilantro. The roasted cashews provide a very crunchy texture to the curry for contrast, while the fresh basil and cilantro add some brightness to the earthy flavors of yellow curry.
Serve with steamed rice. White jasmine rice or brown rice are perfect options to be paired with yellow curry.
Enjoy!
How to Store Leftover Yellow Curry
If you have any leftover yellow curry, you may store them in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days.
Re-heat the yellow curry using a microwave, or on the stovetop over medium-low heat.
Coconut milk does not freeze well so I don't recommend storing your yellow curry in the freezer. You will notice that the texture will turn out to be a bit grainy.
Vegetarian Thai Yellow Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 small onion sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 small Yukon Gold potatoes cut into large cubes
- 2 carrots sliced (approx. same size as potato cubes)
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 1 cup green beans cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 ½ cups baby corn cut into ¾ inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons + 1 ½ cups water divided
- 2 tablespoons Thai yellow curry paste
- 1 can 14-oz coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup roasted cashews
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup cilantro
Instructions
- Heat cooking oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add sliced onion and minced garlic to the wok. Stir-fry for 1 minute to allow the onion sliced to soften.
- Add potatoes and carrots to the wok. Stir occasionally for 2 minutes.
- Add cauliflower florets to the wok. Stir for 1 more minute.
- Toss in green beans and baby corn to the wok.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of water to the wok to help steam the vegetables.
- Add the Thai yellow curry paste to the vegetables. Give all of the vegetables a good stir to coat them all in that yummy yellow curry paste.
- Stir in coconut milk and 1 ½ cups of water.
- Turn the heat down to low, and allow the curry to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add fish sauce, brown sugar and salt to the curry. Give the curry a good stir to blend all the ingredients.
- Garnish with roasted cashews, fresh basil and cilantro.
- Serve with steamed jasmine rice.
Nutrition
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Diane says
I want to try this but am a vegetarian and this recipe is not, as it uses fish sauce. Any suggestions for a substitute?
Char says
Hi Diane! You can find vegan/vegetarian fish sauce online on amazon.com. Alternatively, if you would like to make your own, Minimalist Baker has a good recipe here: https://minimalistbaker.com/5-ingredient-vegetarian-fish-sauce/