What meal can you eat on repeat and never get tired of? For me, that’s a yellow vegetable curry. We have it all the time. It’s silky, fragrant, and hearty — plus, it tastes even better as leftovers. So, I was thrilled when I came across Meera Sodha’s recipe for yellow curry with green beans and potatoes in her new cookbook, Dinner: 120 Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes for the Most Important Meal of the Day. Here’s how to make it…
Thai Yellow Curry with Green Beans and Potatoes
From Dinner by Meera Sodha
Serves 4
Says Meera Sodha: “The traffic-light naming of Thai curries is perhaps a genius bit of marketing that has made their journey to Westerners’ plates that much easier. While the green and red are defined by their corresponding chillies, the yellow is not, but instead is characterized by a stellar line-up of aromatics that includes lemongrass, turmeric, ginger, makrut lime leaves, cumin and coriander, which all come together like a beam of sunshine.”
2 large shallots (21⁄2 oz net), roughly chopped
1 whole head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
2 stalks of lemongrass, outer leaves and top third discarded, the rest roughly chopped
1 1⁄2 x 1 1⁄2 inches ginger, chopped 4 bird’s-eye chillies, chopped
4 makrut lime leaves*
1 tsp ground turmeric
1⁄2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 1⁄2 tsp salt
2 x 14-oz cans of coconut milk
1 1⁄4 lbs waxy potatoes, cut into 1 1⁄2 x 3⁄4-inch pieces
2 tbsp canola oil
14 oz green beans, topped cooked jasmine rice to serve
First make the curry paste. Put the shallots, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, chillies, lime leaves, spices and salt into a blender, add 1⁄4 cup of coconut milk, and blitz, adding an extra splash of coconut milk if you need, until you have a nice, smooth paste. Put to one side.
Bring a medium-sized saucepan of water to a boil, carefully lower in the potatoes and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until a knife slips easily in and out. Drain and set aside while you start on the curry.
Put the oil into a large saucepan for which you have a lid, set it over a medium heat and, once hot, add the curry paste and stir-fry for 5 minutes; it will start to darken slightly and turn noticeably fragrant.
When the paste starts to look a little oily as the fat splits out of it, add the rest of the coconut milk and half a can of water. Bring to a simmer. Add the cooked potatoes and the green beans, bring everything back up to a simmer, cover and cook for 5 to 6 minutes longer, until the beans are tender and the curry has reduced and thickened slightly.
To serve, ladle the curry into bowls and serve with steamed jasmine rice.
*Buy the makrut lime leaves fresh or frozen from your local Chinese supermarket and store in the freezer. Waxy potatoes, like red potatoes and fingerlings, are better than starchy, as they soak up less sauce, but use whatever you have and add a little water to make it saucier if need be. You’ll need a blender to make this.
Thank you, Meera!
P.S. 20-minute coconut chicken soup, and 11 readers share their go-to recipes.
(Photos by David Loftus, and book cover photo by Jenny Rosenstrach.)
(Excerpted from Dinner: 120 Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes for the Most Important Meal of the Day by Meera Sodha. Copyright 2024 by Meera Sodha. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All Rights Reserved.)
