Creamy Banana Stem Curry Chicken — Gaeng Yuak
A Northern Lanna banana stem curry of chicken simmered with tender banana stems in a creamy coconut broth perfumed with red curry paste, lemongrass, and fresh turmeric, finished with sweet basil and lime leaves for a regional showpiece bowl over jasmine rice.
Thai
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Soak 600g sliced banana stem in salted water 10 minutes, drain and squeeze. Pound 60g fresh turmeric, 60g galangal, 16 garlic cloves, and 120g shallot halves in a mortar to a coarse yellow paste.
Bloom
Skim 1/2 cup thick cream from coconut milk. Heat cream with 2 tbsp oil in a large saucepan over medium heat 3 minutes until it splits and beads of oil rise. Add pounded paste, 60g red curry paste, and 4 bruised lemongrass stalks; cook 2 minutes until deeply fragrant and oil turns deep yellow-orange.
Sear
Add 480g chicken pieces to the pan over medium heat, stir 2–3 minutes until coated and lightly browned on the edges.
Simmer
Pour in remaining 700ml coconut milk and 400ml water. Add 40ml fish sauce and 20g palm sugar. Bring to a bare simmer over medium heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes until chicken is fork-tender and broth thickens to creamy yellow.
Build
Drop banana stem and 10 kaffir lime leaves into the curry over medium heat. Simmer uncovered 12 minutes until banana stem is fork-tender and has absorbed the sauce, with broth glistening orange.
Reduce
Continue simmering uncovered over low heat 2 minutes until sauce coats a spoon glossy and curry oil pools clearly. Taste and adjust fish sauce or palm sugar for balance.
Finish and plate
Kill heat, fold in 40g sweet basil leaves off the heat 30 seconds until wilted. Plate curry alongside 300g jasmine rice, scatter extra basil across the top.
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