This curry recipe is a family favorite, and takes less than 30 minutes to make! It’s great for all those busy moms, college students, and anyone who loves a good curry.
Growing up in Cambodia, curry was a BIG thing. You’d find the dish everywhere – New Year’s, weddings, offerings at temples, and other special events.
But the way my family made it in Cambodia was so time-intensive. Everything was made from scratch, from chopping up lemon grass, grinding fresh turmeric roots, scraping coconuts for coconut milk… it took AT LEAST 2-3 hours (but it was DELICIOUS).
Being the busy mom that I am now, I had to find a way to make curry that was quick, simple, and tasty.
Hence… this curry recipe!
This is one of my daughter’s go-to recipes to make in college because of how simple, quick, and nutritious the dish is! She tells me this is what she makes when she starts feeling under-the-weather. (Turmeric, the main ingredient in this curry, has been known to be great for giving your immune system a boost.) She packs it with other immune-boosting ingredients – broccoli, red bell peppers, onions – and swears that it helps her feel better.
So, here’s my version of a delicious Cambodian-inspired curry that takes under 30 minutes to make! You can adjust the recipe depending on everyone’s preference too – instead of chicken, for example, I might put fish or shrimp. Or if you’re vegan or vegetarian, opt for tofu or no meat at all. Either way, this dish is delicious and so easy to make! (Jump to: Flexible Recipe Suggestions)
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Quick & Easy Yellow Curry
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
This simple recipe is one of my go-to meals to cook at home – it takes under 30 minutes, and is full of nutritious ingredients!
Ingredients
- 1 Bell pepper
- 1 Chicken breast (medium)
- ½ Carrot
- ½ Large onion
- 4 tsp Curry powder
- 3 tsp Fish sauce
- 3 tsp Cane sugar (or sweetener of choice)***
- 1 Pinch of salt
- 2 tsp Olive oil
- 1 can of Coconut milk
- 2 tsp turmeric (optional)
Instructions
- Wash, and cut chicken breasts into strips. Place in a medium sized bowl
- Mix in fish sauce, curry powder, and sugar into a bowl with chicken. Rub the ingredients into the chicken, and set aside
- Cut carrots in half lengthwise then slice it diagonally in thin strips, cut onion and bell pepper(s) into thin strips
- Add olive oil to a saute pan (or any frying pan that is deep) over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, put in the sliced chicken. Cook for about 5 minutes (or until fully cooked) and set aside in a separate bowl.
- Cook sliced carrots on the pan for 20 seconds, then add the sliced onion and bell pepper. Cook for an additional minute.
- Add the chicken back in, and mix. Pour in coconut milk and let sit for 90 seconds, stirring occasionally. Then turn the stove off.
- Serve with rice (or your choice of carbohydrate)!
Notes
*** Cane sugar is less sweet than other sugars. If you're using regular, granulated sugar, use 2 tsp.
If you'd like to add extra color to your curry, add more turmeric 😊
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
Flexible Recipe Suggestions
🥭How to Make this Dish Vegan: Skip the fish sauce and replace it with soy sauce, and opt for tofu as your protein source! Pan fry the tofu on its own first (2 minutes on each side in a non-stick pan) so it doesn’t fall apart in the curry. Then, add it in at the very end.
🐟For Pescatarians: I recommend using shrimp or white fish in this recipe. For shrimp, season it as described in the recipe, but cook it separately (1-2 min each side in a pan). Mix in with the curry sauce at the very end (to avoid overcooking the shrimp). If you use white fish (like tilapia) place the fish in the sauce after Step 5, and allow it to simmer and cook thoroughly (roughly 10 min).
🥬Vegetables: You can use pretty much any vegetable you’d like in this recipe. I love putting kale in the curry that I make at home. The only recommendation I have is to avoid vegetables that lose a lot of water when you cook them. They change the taste of the curry (so avoid foods like spinach, zucchini, cucumber, etc.).
How to Store the Curry
Anything with coconut milk in it goes bad pretty quickly just sitting out, so make sure to store it in a container and put it in the fridge! Don’t let it sit out for more than an hour after cooking.
As always, we’d love to see how you put your own spin on this curry recipe! Tag us on instagram (@nutritiouscooking) and use the hashtag #nutritiouscooking to be featured in this post later on!
Happy Cooking!
