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Tiger Prawn Gaeng Gari - Aromatic Thai Yellow Curry

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Tiger Prawn Gaeng Gari - Aromatic Thai Yellow Curry

The Evening Standard got in touch a while back. They were writing a piece about the wave of bedbugs hitting London and wanted to give readers a recipe high in vitamin B1, which apparently works as a natural bug repellent. Seafood, chillies, lemongrass, garlic, onions and green beans all make the list. So I gave them this curry. It remains one of the more unusual reasons a recipe of mine has ended up in print, but here we are. You can read the original article here.

Gaeng gari is one of the gentler curries in the Thai repertoire. Aromatic rather than fiery - built on turmeric, lemongrass and warm spices rather than chilli heat. It's the one that tends to convert people who think they don't like Thai food. Rich, fragrant, properly comforting. The paste works well across beef, chicken, fish and prawns, which is one of the reasons it's one of the best sellers on Payst. A lot of mild aromatic spice giving a complex finish without needing much from you.

Keep the heads and tails on the prawns. The prawn brains release their goodness into the curry as it cooks and the flavour the heads give to the sauce is real and noticeable. There is also something worth saying about presentation - a curry served with the heads and tails on but the body and vein properly removed tells you that someone has taken time and care in the kitchen. Peeled prawns are cheap and easy and you can open a bag straight into a pan. Preparing prawns properly takes skill and attention. It's a good sign when you see it.

Tiger prawn gaeng gari Thai yellow curry in a bowl with coconut milk, green beans, crispy shallots and curry leaves

Tiger Prawn Gaeng Gari

Serves: 2 | Prep: 10 mins | Cook: 20 mins | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

For the curry

  • 100g gaeng gari / yellow curry paste (Payst available next-day delivery, UK-wide - comes pre-seasoned. If using your own paste, season with palm sugar and fish sauce)

  • 10 tiger prawns, outer shells removed and de-veined, heads and tails kept on

  • 25ml coconut oil or vegetable oil

  • 200ml fish or chicken stock

  • 250ml coconut milk

  • 2 makrut lime leaves, torn

  • 20g fresh Thai basil (a good handful)

  • 100g green beans, washed and halved

  • 100g baby corn, chopped into bite-sized pieces

  • 6 new potatoes, quartered

  • Half a lime, juiced

  • Steamed jasmine rice to serve

Optional garnish

  • 10g pickled ginger

  • 10g pickled cucumber

  • 5g crispy shallots

  • 2 makrut lime leaves, finely julienned

  • A few curry leaves, fried until crispy

  • A few Thai basil sprigs

Method

  1. Get your jasmine rice on first. Wash it well and use a rice cooker if you have one.

  2. Heat the oil in a wok or wide pan over medium heat. Add the yellow curry paste and torn makrut lime leaves. Fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring to stop it catching. When the paste darkens and smells fragrant, deglaze with a splash of fish sauce, then add all the stock and half the coconut milk. Bring to a simmer.

  3. Add the green beans, baby corn and potatoes. Cook for 7-8 minutes until just tender.

  4. Add the prawns and simmer for 3-5 minutes until just cooked through. Take off the heat and stir in the Thai basil, remaining coconut milk and lime juice.

  5. Transfer to a large bowl. Garnish with crispy shallots, fried curry leaves, pickled ginger and cucumber, Thai basil sprigs and julienned makrut lime leaves. Serve with jasmine rice.

Chef's notes

Gaeng gari is a good entry point for anyone who finds Thai food a bit daunting. The paste does most of the work and the technique is simple. Don't rush the paste in the pan - letting it fry and darken properly before adding liquid is what gives the curry its depth.

This works equally well with white fish, chicken or mussels. If using fish, add it for the last 2-3 minutes only.

The Payst gaeng gari paste is available for next-day delivery at payst.co.uk. More recipes at faranglondon.co.uk.

Tiger prawn gaeng gari Thai yellow curry in a bowl with coconut milk, green beans, crispy shallots and curry leaves

Head chef & founder of Farang London restaurant. Cookbook author of ‘Cook Thai’ & ‘Thai in 7’. Chief curry paste basher and co-founder of Payst London.