Reddit mentions of Mae Ploy Thai Yellow Curry Paste - 14 oz jar

Another option, though not quite a gravy how we think of it, is Thai curry sauce. It's unbelievably delicious over rice, and it's easy to make. All you need for the sauce are curry paste, coconut milk, a bit of oil, and a bit of brown sugar.

fry ~ 2-3 tbs of yellow curry paste in a puddle of oil for a minute or so, add a can of coconut milk, simmer for a few minutes, and add a tiny bit of brown sugar. A can of coconut milk is 750 calories.

The best brand of curry paste is Mae Ploy which you can get at most asian grocery stores much cheaper than on amazon ($3/tub is enough for 8-12 batches).

The best brand of coconut milk (that I've tried) is Chaokoh, which you can also get at most asian grocery stores for a bit under $2 per can.

If you want to make it more of a meal, you can also add a diced raw chicken breast and some veggies to it while it simmers (I use peas, red peppers, and onions).

Vegetable Curry! Find some yellow (or your fave color) curry paste, I like the Mae Ploy brand and have actually seen it in the kitchens of some Thai restaurants.

In a tablespoon or 2 of oil, add about a tablespoon of curry paste (a huge container of it costs about $6 and is good for a year or two) and fry for a minute or two. Add sliced onions, mushrooms, (bell peppers if you like) and garlic and continue to saute. Add a 15 oz-ish can of coconut milk and 1-2 cans of vegetable broth or water and chopped, peeled potatoes and carrots. Simmer until carrots and potatoes are tender, and add more water/broth and/or coconut milk if you like.

You can add red pepper flakes or hot sauce if you like too, but my curry paste is spicy enough for me. Change up the veggies as you like, add tofu, it's very versatile! A scoop of peanut butter to mix it up is good, or try red or green curries, or add chunks of pumpkin or sweet potato.

When I make this for my mom's work, I do onion, mushroom, garlic, red and green bell pepper, zucchini, sweet potato, regular potato, and spinach.

If you can't find curry paste, just fry up curry powder, fresh chopped ginger (or powdered), fresh chopped garlic, and fresh chopped lemongrass in the first step. It won't be quite as good, but it will still work! I am lazy so I buy the [lemongrass and ginger in the tubes from the the produce section]
(http://www.gourmetgarden.com/en-us/product/534/lemongrass-stir-paste)

You can find this brand at Central Market on the rice/asian aisle.

http://www.amazon.com/Mae-Ploy-Yellow-Curry-Paste/dp/B000EICISA

Yellow Thai curry over rice. Go to your local Asian market, or get these off of amazon:

Mae Ploy brand Yellow Curry Paste

and

Squid brand fish sauce

You only use a few Tablespoons of each at a time, and they both last a long time in the fridge (many months)

Here's how I make it:

• Put a (14ish OZ size) can of coconut milk in a large-ish pot (I use around 5 qt size for almost everything)
  
• Chop up some boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs into 1 inch chunks and add to coconut milk.
  
• Chop veggies that your kids are not violently opposed to into 1 inch size chunks (carrots/potatoes/sweet potatoes/onions) and add to coconut milk.
  
• Mix 2 Tbsp of Curry Paste with 2 Tbsp water in a small bowl to break up any lumps and add to the coconut milk
  
• Bring pot to a boil then reduce and simmer until chicken and veggies are cooked through. You could also do this in a crock pot.
  
• If you are using veggies like frozen peas, or bell pepper, don't add until the chicken is almost cooked as they cook really fast and will get mushy if you cook them for a long time.
  
• When chicken is cooked, add 2 Tablespoons of the fish sauce. I know this stuff smells awful coming out of the bottle, but you only use a little bit, and it really adds tastiness and depth to the curry.
  
• Serve over rice (or noodles)
  
  
  I really like this because it is really versatile. You do have to buy coconut milk, the Paste, and the Fish sauce, but after that you can just make it with whatever meat/veggies you have on hand. I mostly do Potatoes, Onions, and Chicken, but I used the red paste with shrimp and bok choy once when I was feeling adventurous, and it was great.
  
  The coconut milk gives it a great flavor, and if you use familiar ingredients like potatoes and chicken you can probably get your kids to try it if they are a bit picky. It's really just a throw-stuff-in-a-pot kind of a dish, but I really like it.
  
  Check out some recipes/posts on it here, here, and here
  
  (edit:formatting)

It varies a lot even (and maybe especially) among authentic places. Whether they regularly use seafood product in all the curry pastes or not, what they can do to accommodate is different everywhere. They might make large batches all the same way and not be able to give you anything else, or have a fish free version of one available on request, or be willing to make you some special right then. I find myself being able to get thai curries at restaurants most of the time, so it's definitely not a long shot these days. Just ask what you need to! Nobody will look at you funny :)


Also, if you're a lover of thai curry you should check out your local asian/ethnic/specialty grocers! Popular thai brands do sell pastes that don't contain fish–mae ploy yellow curry paste for example. Mixing up a curry at home is super easy and delicious with a good store bought paste.

Vegan store bought pastes I like:

Yellow

Red

Green

All from very popular brands and much better than the stuff at regular grocery stores (I'm looking at you, Thai Kitchen, with your bland overpriced paste!).