They call it Mellow Yellow . . .Curry Shredded Chicken Stew

Yesterday I wrote about curries and gave you my basic recipe for red curry stew. Red curries are normally served at Thai restaurants whereas Yellow curries are more commonly found at Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants. Tonight I'll share the Yellow curry stew one. It's the same recipe but with the substitution of the yellow curry paste and heavy coconut cream which makes for a thicker, rich & savory stew. Remember what I wrote yesterday? The yellow curry is the mildest of all three types of curries and sweeter. I also served it with rice noodles instead of rice simply because I was in a noodlie mood. Once you get comfortable making one curry, you can really start playing around with the others and add vegetables you prefer like bok choy, yams, zuchinni or other squashes. The stews are so hearty and full of flavor yet intermingle well with many other ingredients.  I will post the photos of the curry pastes that I prefer soon. All of them can be purchased at grocery stores with large selections of International foods or at a specialty grocery store.  

Ingredients (serves 6):
3 pounds chicken pieces or large cubes (if using boneless, add 2 chicken bullion cubes to stew)
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 tablespoon garlic minced
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons yellow curry paste
2 cans creamy coconut milk 
2 cups of water 
2 cups of carrots, chopped into 1" segments or use baby carrots
1 1/2 cups of red or russet potatoes, chopped 
1 1/2 cups yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
6 large fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces or 1 tablespoon of dried basil 
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon white sugar
sprinkle of dried red chili peppers before serving (optional)


1 package of wide rice noodles, cooked per instructions (just like pasta!)


Directions:

1. In large stew pot add the oil heat on medium high heat. Add the chicken, garlic, pepper, sugar and onions and brown. 
2. Add the coconut milk, water, curry paste and fish sauce. Bring to a boil
3. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat to medium, cover and let cook for 40 minutes. Add all the potatoes and carrots. Cover and let simmer for an additional 30 to 40 minutes, potatoes and carrots should be soft and cooked. 
4. Add shrimp 10 minutes before serving. 
5. Garnish with fresh basil  Serve over rice, or rice noodles, and a large chunk of crusty french bread for soaking up all that lovely broth.