Yellow Curry

Yellow curry (Thai: แกงกะหรี่, RTGS: kaeng kari, [kɛːŋ karìː]; Chinese: 黃咖喱) is one of three major kinds of Thai curry that are commonly found in Thai restaurants in the West. There are other curry types in Thai cuisine, several of which are yellow. Pre-packaged curry powder of Indian origin is sometimes also referred to as yellow curry in Western countries but is a different blend of spices from Thai yellow curry.

Thai Yellow curry, outside Thailand, usually refers to the Thai-Muslim dish kaeng kari. This curry is richer and creamier than other Thai curries, since coconut cream is used in addition to coconut milk. This richer curry tends to tone down the overall spiciness of the dish, hence its popularity on menus outside of Thailand. The primary spices in kaeng kari are cumin, coriander, turmeric, fenugreek, garlic, salt, bay leaf, lemongrass, cayenne pepper, ginger, mace and cinnamon. Sometimes a touch of palm sugar or a similar sweetener will be added, depending on the sweetness of the coconut milk.

Thai yellow curry can be made with duck, chicken, shrimp, fish or vegetables and is eaten with steamed rice or round rice noodles known as khanom chin.

Other dishes

There is also kaeng lueang (Thai: แกงเหลือง), which directly translated means "yellow curry" in Thai. This dish is originally known by many people in Southern Thailand as kaeng som, i.e., "sour curry". It is a sour curry that is lighter in color than kaeng kari (which has almost a peanut butter color) but spicier and sharper in taste.