- Nicola
Vietnamese Curry Chicken – Cà Ri Gà
Updated: Apr 14, 2020

What to eat next is my constant struggle every day. Figuring out my next meal of something delicious, quick to make, and not the same as the day before is always something I deal with on a day-to-day basis. *Sigh* the life of a food lover.
I went to the freezer to find a pack of meat to work with for the next day, and pulled out a package of drumsticks. After contemplating on tomorrows meal, I decided on Cà ri gà, because I didn’t have to go to the grocery store for any additional ingredients. All the ingredients that I needed were in my pantry or freezer.
Cà ri gà is the Vietnamese version of chicken curry stew. It is aromatic and fragrant. The richness of the coconut milk makes a perfect sauce to serve with jasmine rice or rice noodles or even fresh toasted baguettes. This is a super easy recipe with a wonderful end result.
Vietnamese Curry Chicken – Cà Ri Gà
Serves 4
Ingredients:
8 pieces of chicken parts or 1 whole chicken, broken down into 8 pieces 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil 1 tablespoons minced shallots (about 1 shallot) 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon finely minced lemongrass 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 1/2 tablespoons ground curry Powder 1 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric 2 teaspoon mushroom seasoning or chicken seasoning 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil 1 onion, diced 3 cups water (or chicken stock but omit chicken seasoning or mushroom seasoning in marinade) 1 13.5-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk 1 tablespoon rock sugar (6 grams) 1 dried chili 1 whole red thai chili 2 stalks lemongrass 6-8 fresh kaffir lime leaves (optional) 3-4 medium sized peeled carrots, cut into 2-3 inch pieces salt to taste fresh cilantro leaves
Directions:
Clean the chicken pieces under cold water, drain and pat dry with a paper towel to remove some of the moisture. In a large bowl, add the chicken pieces, grapeseed oil, shallots, garlic, minced lemongrass, black pepper, fish sauce, curry powder, turmeric, and mushroom seasoning. Thoroughly coat the chicken and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place the chicken in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for 6-8 hours.
In a large stock pot on high heat, drizzle the grapeseed oil. When the oil is nice and hot, add the chicken pieces and begin searing.
When the chicken is almost done searing, add the onions.
Next add the water or chicken stock. Stir together.
Add the carrots, rock sugar, dried chili, red thai chili, lemongrass, and kaffir leaves. Mix together.
Then add the coconut milk. Stir and combine together.
Bring the stew to a boil on high heat, and then lower the heat to a simmer the stew. Cover with the lid.
Simmer for about 45 minutes. On occasion, stir the stew and skim off any accumulated scum.
Do a taste test. Adjust the flavouring with salt, pepper, and fish sauce.
Plate and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.
Serve with Jasmine Rice, Rice Noodles or French Bread. Enjoy!