Thai yellow curry paste is a refrigerator staple in our house, one that I dip into on a regular basis. It has a milder curry flavor, not as hot as panang, green, or red curry paste, and is great with vegetarian or vegan curries. I use it to spice up coconut curries, rice, and even as a chicken rub to marinade for the grill. The Mae Ploy brand is what I usually find in our local international grocery stores, though other brands are available in well-stocked grocery stores. I like the convenience of purchased curry paste, but you can make your own if you prefer (see recipe below), you just need a good stash of spices in the pantry.
I use Thai yellow curry paste in this easy slow cooker curry with plenty of vegetables. The flavor is quite nice and gets soaked up in the mushrooms and sweet potatoes. It's a big batch and you get the bonus of having leftovers for lunch.
Recipe Notes
Though not authentic, I adore the convenience of slow cookers, and it works great for this vegetable curry. I make my own vegetable stock and cook the chickpeas from scratch because I prefer the flavor, though you can use canned in a pinch. The curry works equally well with fresh or frozen vegetables. I recommend leaving out the coconut milk until the last 30 minutes. Stir in a little of the broth from the vegetables to raise the temperature of the milk, then pour it in. This helps reduce curdling. The recipe is easily halved.
Allergy note: The yellow curry paste recipe included below has shrimp paste.
Slow Cooker Sweet Potato, Cauliflower, and Broccoli Curry
Equipment
- large skillet
- 6-quart slow cooker
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sunflower or canola oil
- 1 large yellow onion (chopped)
- 8 ounces white or baby bella mushrooms (rough chopped)
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free Thai curry paste (or more to taste)
- 1 pound sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into bite-size chunks)
- 1 pound cauliflower florets (fresh or frozen)
- 1 pound broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
- 4 large carrots (peeled and sliced)
- 4 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed)
- 1 quart vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cans light coconut milk
Yellow Curry Paste (optional)
- 1 fresh red chili (seeded and chopped)
- 4 garlic cloves (chopped)
- 3 shallots (chopped)
- 2 stalks lemongrass (sliced)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon gluten-free shrimp paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
Preparation
Curry Paste
- Process all the ingredients in a food processor. Drizzle in some water if necessary.
Vegetables
- In the large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onions until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté until tender, not mushy, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the curry paste and cook for 1 more minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker.
- Add all the vegetables, the vegetable stock, and the salt. Set the slow cooker for low and allow to cook for 4 to 5 hours, until the vegetables are fork tender, but not mushy. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir ½ cup of the broth from the slow cooker with the coconut milk. This will help bring up the temperature of the curry and reduce or prevent curdling. Stir I the coconut milk mixture and cover. Check the temperature after 15 to minutes, and serve when it’s hot to your taste. Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days, and up to 1 month in the freezer.
kristy @ the wicked noodle says
I love using curry pastes. They're so convenient and add so much flavor!
Andrea says
Me too!
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) says
I've never tried making my own curry paste; I always buy the Mae Ploy brand. Now I'm inspired! Thanks for linking to my slow cooker "old clothes" beef curry, too.
Andrea says
Lydia your "old clothes" curry sounds delicious!