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Instant Pot Thai Yellow Curry in a red bowl

Instant Pot Thai Yellow Curry Recipe


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5 from 8 reviews

  • Author: Mike Vrobel
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6-8 servings 1x

Description

Pressure Cooker Thai Yellow Curry with Chicken. A quick weeknight curry, sweetened with a lot of coconut cream and spiced up with Thai yellow curry paste.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced thin
  • 2 medium red bell peppers, trimmed, seeded, and cut into thin strips
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and crushed
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • Cream from the top of 2 (13.5 ounce) cans coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup yellow curry paste (a whole 4 oz can)
  • 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 1/2 pounds Petite Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
  • The liquid from 2 cans coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce (plus more to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce (plus more to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar (plus more to taste)
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch thick half moons

Garnish and Sides

  • Minced cilantro
  • Minced basil (preferably Thai basil)
  • Lime wedges
  • Jasmine rice

Instructions

  1. Sauté the aromatics: Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker until shimmering. (Use Sauté mode adjusted to high in an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker.) Stir in the onion, red pepper, garlic, and ginger, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt, and sauté until the onion softens, about 3 minutes.
  2. Fry the curry paste: Scoop the cream from the top of 2 cans of coconut milk and add it to the pot. (Stop when you hit the thin coconut liquid, and save it for later.) Stir the curry paste into the pot. Cook, stirring often, until the curry paste darkens, about 5 minutes.
  3. Everything in the pot: Sprinkle the chicken with the kosher salt, add it to the pot, and stir to coat with curry paste. Stir in the potatoes and then the reserved coconut milk liquid, fish sauce, soy sauce, and brown sugar.
  4. Pressure cook the curry for 5 minutes with a quick pressure release: Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric PC or for 4 minutes in a stovetop PC. (Use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook-custom mode in an Instant Pot). Quick release the pressure in the pot.
  5. Finish the curry: Remove the lid from the pressure cooker, then set it over medium-high heat (Sauté mode adjusted to high in an electric pressure cooker.) Stir in the lime juice and the zucchini, and simmer until the zucchini is crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Serve the curry with Jasmine rice and (optional) minced cilantro and basil on the side.

Notes

Don’t shake the cans of coconut milk – you want the solid layer of cream on the top and the liquid underneath. That lets you fry the coconut cream with the curry paste, then add the liquid later. (If the coconut milk is shaken up, and there isn’t a thick layer of coconut cream on the top, scoop out the top 1/3rd of the can and add it to the pot.)

I use Maesri curry paste, because a single 4 ounce can is the perfect amount for a pressure cooker curry. If you buy your curry paste in a larger tub, use 8 tablespoons.

Want to substitute chicken thighs? (I know I do!) Increase the cooking time to 10 minutes at high pressure in an electric PC, 8 minutes in a stovetop PC.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Weeknight Dinner
  • Method: Pressure Cooker
  • Cuisine: Thai