
There are many, many curries in Thai cuisine. As in India, every region, every valley, every home has its own special blend of ingredients and cooking technique. This is a vegetarian dish featuring yellow curry sauce, more mellow than its red or green counterparts. Thai eggplant is round and green; substitute Japanese eggplant if you can’t find it.
Ingredients
Yellow curry paste
- 2 teaspoons (10 mL) coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons (10 mL) cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) white peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) ground turmeric
- 1 stalk lemongrass, tough outer leaves removed, chopped, bottom half only
- 1 medium Shallot, finely diced
- 2 red bird’s eye chilies, seeds removed, roughly chopped
- 1/2-inch (1 cm) piece unpeeled galangal or peeled fresh ginger, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2 fresh lime leaves, finely chopped
For the curry
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) vegetable oil
- 1 cup (250 mL) coconut milk, divided
- 1 cup (250 mL) vegetable stock or water
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) finely grated or chopped palm sugar
- 1 cup (250 mL) diced peeled carrots (medium dice)
- 8 to 10 baby canned corn, halved
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cut in medium dice
- 6 small Thai eggplants, sliced into 1/2-inch (1 cm) rounds
- 2 teaspoons (10 mL) soy sauce
- 15 fresh Thai basil leaves
Directions
Yellow curry paste:
- In a spice grinder (or coffee grinder set aside for spices), grind the coriander, cumin, and peppercorns until it’s a fine powder. Transfer to a food processor or blender along with the rest of the ingredients, and make a fine paste. You may need to add a bit of water or coconut oil to help the mixture purée. You may also use a mortar and pestle to pound all of the ingredients, including the spices.
For the curry:
- In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the curry paste, and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the coconut milk, and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the stock (or water) and sugar, and season with some salt.
- Add the carrots, canned corn, red peppers, and eggplants, and let simmer until almost soft but still slightly firm, about 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce, and the remaining 1/2 cup (125 mL) coconut milk.
- Cover and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove the wok from the heat, and stir in the Thai basil.
- Serve with steamed jasmine rice.
Serves 6