Ca ri ga
Editor's note:The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted fromPleasures of the Vietnamese Tableby Mai Pham and are part of our story on Lunar New Year.
True to the Vietnamese style of curry-making, this recipe is milder and lighter than Indian or Thai curries. You can make this with chicken stock, but the coconut milk adds body and enhances the overall flavor. Depending on my mood and the time of year, I sometimes serve this with a warmed baguette (a French influence) instead of steamed rice. Other times, I just make the curry with more broth and serve it with rice noodles. Like other curries, it's delicious the next day.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
GARNISHES
Step 1
1. Combine 2 tablespoons of the curry powder and the salt in a bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat the meat evenly. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Step 2
2. Heat the oil in a medium pot over moderate heat. Add the shallot, garlic, chili paste and the remaining 1 tablespoon curry powder, and stir until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add the chicken and cook until the edges of the pieces are golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the fish sauce, sugar, lemongrass, ginger and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Add the carrots and cook for 10 minutes. Add the coconut milk, onion and sweet potato and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with Asian basil, cilantro and scallions, and serve.
Leave a Review
Reviews (120)
Back to TopI've been making this recipe for years. Of course I started out using the recipe as it is. You can't go wrong! Always a hit. But now I play with it and always use at least an extra tablespoon of curry powder and extra heat in the form of chili flakes because my family likes it spicy. Also sometimes I double the broth recipe and serve it as ramen (soup).
Mary M
Montclair, NJ
1/15/2022
I love this recipe. I usually serve it over rice noodles.
mellon6
Philadelphia
7/12/2020
This recipe is a winner! As a caterer, this flavor-packed curry will be added to my files. I boned chicken thighs and cubed them instead of leaving the chicken pieces whole. I also added, at the end of cooking, freshly steamed green beans. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as is. If you are lucky enough to live near an Asian grocery store, you can find fresh lemongrass, frozen lemongrass pulp and even lemongrass puree in tubes. I feel it really adds a depth of flavor. If you don't have it, then sub some lemon zest. I personally like cilantro for a garnish, but basil would work as well.
sjloh
NEOhio
12/1/2018
This is a delicious curry and the carrots and sweet potato really made it more interesting. I used Sriracha for the chile paste and my husband and son thought it as too spicy.
Beth_Cole
Palm Beach, FL
7/14/2017
This recipe turned out really well, though as others, I changed a few things. Used about 1/4c of creamed coconut instead of the canned, used a bit of thai curry paste and hot chili powder. Didn't have lemongrass, and thought I wouldn't have needed to do the carrots longer than the rest of the veggies. Nonetheless, the flavours were great, somehow the carrots were almost the best! And the day after the house was still smelling fantastic!! Will do again.
Anonymous
11/1/2016
This dish was "meh" for me. It was lighter than I expected (even after reading the recipe description which says this curry is lighter - they weren't kidding). There just wasn't enough flavor for me. Also, the prep work took quite a long time, in addition to the cook time; out of proportion to the results, I thought. If you're looking for an extremely mild curry dish, this is it.
mountaingourmet
Lake Tahoe, CA
10/20/2016
Outstanding! Prepared per recipe. Made twice the recipe. Would like to try over fish for a Lenten Friday.
csguest
Chicago, IL
2/29/2016
Not usually a fan of sweet potatoes, after making this my wife kept repeating "God, that was good" for the remainder of the evening. I have made it twice now per recipe. Because it is kind of soupy and best served in a bowl, best to cut boneless thighs into smaller pieces so you don't have to use a knife. I also preferred the sauce a little thicker, which was easily done with a corn starch slurry prior to serving.
phydo76
森林城,俄亥俄州
11/28/2015
I thought Curry was hard to make and took a long time. This was easy and fast. We made it for our Sunday night supper club - everyone loved it. I cut up the chicken to 1" pieces and marinated about an hour before the team came to cook together. We pulled it all together and were eating a delicious meal in within an hour. We used russet potatoes because I had a lot. Lemon Grass is the secret ingredient that makes this special. Dried chili flake works just find if you don't have paste. 2t gave a good kick.
berdahl
Minneapolis, MN
2/16/2015
This is an amazing recipe, especially for a guy that usually reads a recipe only to actually cook 1 recipe out of 10. I am quite happy with the result. Only two changes were made because I threw in a handfull of raisins and diced the sweet potatoes and microwaved them about 4 minutes. I was somewhat surprised that the flavor of cilantro was muted. I may have added it too early in the cooking process so the next time I'll add it solely as a garnish. It was served over a bed of jasmine rice. Dinner was wonderful that night. I'm a single guy, so that means I took it to work the next day and ended up sharing the recipe with at least 5 of my co-workers. 'Nuff said.
SouthernSpirit
芝加哥,通过Memphis, TN
2/11/2015
Great recipe! One time I made it as written, the only substitution being russet potatoes instead of sweet - it was great. Another time I made it with regular milk instead of coconut milk, left out the lemongrass, and russets again instead of sweet potatoes and we loved it that time too.
Jbaby79
Vienna, VA
2/3/2014
i enjoy just how this recipe looks i eaten it before with my children all of us enjoyed this we may have a household gathering again and cook this recipe again soon that is one tasty recipe you have to test it i guarantee you whatever you will require to this its very tasty
sarah12jones212212312
2/3/2014
I used coconut oil instead of veg. and cut the thighs up before cooking. Needed the rolling pin to whack the lemongrass. Very tasty
aries37
纽约布鲁克林
2/1/2014
Very good but crazy salty. I did 1 1/2 times the chicken so added extra salt, and I had to put a potato in to take away the saltiness! Use less salt, and you can use almond milk too for a nice dairy free version.
emilysolway
Ridgewood, NJ
1/25/2014
Very, Very good and overall pretty easy to make. Followed the recipe as-is and turned out perfectly.
cculley2
Seattle, WA
12/28/2013
