Thai Yellow Curry

Indians are usually fans of Thai food. And not surprisingly, because most of the ingredients and flavors are similar to our style of cuisine. 

This is my take on the mild and warm yellow curry sauce. For the longest time, I wasn't sure what gave the yellow curry its distinctive taste. I recently realized it was bell-pepper, a yellow, sweet pepper in this case. So, this is my take on Thai yellow curry. 

The flavors came quite close to the curry served in Thai restaurants, so I consider it decent enough to share in this space.

Ingredients: (serves 6)

For the yellow curry

1. 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2. 1 teaspoon peppercorns
3. 4 cloves of garlic
4. 1 inch piece of ginger
5. 1.5 medium sized onions, roughly chopped
6. 2-3 dry red chillies
7. 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
8. 1 yellow bell-pepper, roughly diced
9. 2 teaspoons lemongrass, chopped (or use lemongrass paste) (this is optional because the lemongrass is a little difficult to find sometimes)
10. 2 tablespoons shredded coconut
11. 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the stir fry

1. 1.5 cups diced extra firm tofu
2. 1 red bell-pepper, diced
3. 1 zucchini, sliced into half-moons
4. 2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets
5. 1.5 cans coconut milk (21 ounces)
6. 1-1.5 teaspoons of salt, as needed
7. 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

1. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the coriander seeds, red chillies and peppercorns and saute on medium heat for a couple of minutes. 
2. Then add the garlic and ginger and saute for a minute. Next, add the onions and saute till they turn translucent. 
3. Add the turmeric powder and yellow bell-pepper and stir fry until the bell pepper softens. Finally, add the lemon grass and saute for a minute.
4. Remove the saucepan and let everything cool. When cool, grind everything with 1/4 cup of coconut milk and shredded coconut to make a smooth yellow curry paste.
5. In a separate pan, heat a little oil and stir fry the tofu cubes until they are gently browned. Drain the tofu on paper towels.
6. In the same sauce-pan in which the yellow curry spices were sauteed, add some more oil and heat it on medium heat. When the oil is warm, add the bell-pepper, zucchini and broccoli and stir fry on medium heat. Add salt, cover the pan and let the vegetables cook until tender. If you would like the vegetables to slightly char, stir fry on medium-high heat. Else, let the vegetables cook on low-medium heat until tender.
7. When the vegetables are done, add the prepared yellow curry sauce and mix everything together. Let everything simmer on low-medium heat for 5 minutes. 
8. Finally, add the remaining coconut milk and mix everything. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes on low heat and adjust for spices. 
9. Remove the yellow curry from heat and finally add the browned tofu cubes. Gently give everything a stir and serve with warm rice.

This is a warm and flavorful sauce that goes equally well with rotis as with rice.  Garnish the curry with some thai basil leaves (if you can find any).