Thai Yellow Curry with Minced Pork

By Lee Jackson ↣ Published on: October 18, 2019

My Thai yellow curry with minced pork blends fragrant aromatics, gentle spice and a pleasing texture. It captures the bright colours and balanced flavours that make Thai cooking so memorable.

This curry represents everything I love about Thai and Southeast Asian curries: a harmony of spice, sweetness, sourness and salt. The turmeric gives it a warm yellow color and a mild, comforting flavor. I prefer a milder heat, but you can easily increase the chillies in the paste if you like it spicier.

I was inspired to try a minced-meat version after enjoying a chicken larb at a local Thai restaurant. Minced pork works beautifully here, giving the curry a hearty texture similar to a Thai bolognese.

What’s Ahead?

You can make this curry with or without coconut milk. Without coconut milk it becomes closer to a Thai jungle curry — simply replace the coconut milk with water. I prefer using coconut milk for its creaminess and for how it softens the spice, but both versions are delicious.

Stuff you’ll need

Making an authentic yellow curry paste at home is worth the effort. Fresh aromatics give a depth of flavour that store-bought pastes struggle to match. Key elements include:

• Yellow curry paste — lemongrass, galangal, Thai chillies, kaffir lime leaves, shallots, cilantro (coriander) root and stalk, garlic, fresh turmeric (or powdered), shrimp paste, white pepper, ground coriander and cumin, plus a pinch of salt.
• Pork mince (ground pork) — you can substitute ground beef, turkey or chicken if preferred.
• Coconut milk — adds creaminess and softens heat. Omit for a jungle-curry style version.
• Fish sauce — provides the classic salty umami of Thai food.
• Thai basil — also called holy basil; it brings an aromatic finish.
• Garnishes — fresh coriander (cilantro), spring onions, peanuts and lime wedges.

Serving & Storage Suggestions

This curry is excellent over jasmine rice or tossed with rice noodles; rice is my preference. It’s also well suited to batch cooking and freezing.

• Freezer — Portion into single serves and freeze for up to three months. Reheat from frozen in the microwave or on the stovetop until piping hot.
• Fridge — Keep covered and refrigerate for up to a week. Reheat gently in a pan or microwave until steaming.

Ready to get cooking?

If you want a fresh way to prepare ground meat, this Thai yellow curry is ideal. It makes a satisfying midweek dinner, stores well, and reheats beautifully for quick lunches. Because you control the paste, you can adjust heat and aroma to taste. Enjoy!

More tasty Thai recipes

If you enjoyed this Yellow Curry with Minced Pork, you might like other Thai favourites such as grilled chicken (gai yang), panang chicken curry, red curry chicken, pad prik king, and satay dishes. Try them for more authentic Thai flavours.

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