Ok, we're on a roll here for Vietnamese food!
Unlike the Indian, Thai and local counterparts, Ca Ri Ga otherwise known as Vietnamese Chicken Curry is sweeter and more savoury mainly because its ingredients include fish sauce, sweet potatoes and carrots, ingredients you don't usually find in the other curries. Unlike the stronger and more explosive Indian curries, Vietnamese curries draw you in with its subtler and sweeter flavours and you don't really realize that you're capable of finishing an entire bowl of curry on its own because it really is that addictive!
My experience with Vietnamese curry was a totally random one when I was on holiday a few years ago in Ho Chi Minh . I first ate it at a cafe located in World Square in District 1 and that's where I really fell in love with it! They served it with French baguettes of course. The curry gravy was extremely fragrant and tasty, yet underlying it was a complex mixture of spices that remained a mystery to me for many years. I figured I just had to crack the code on my own so I don't have to fly to HCM city to cure my cravings!
Unlike the Indian, Thai and local counterparts, Ca Ri Ga otherwise known as Vietnamese Chicken Curry is sweeter and more savoury mainly because its ingredients include fish sauce, sweet potatoes and carrots, ingredients you don't usually find in the other curries. Unlike the stronger and more explosive Indian curries, Vietnamese curries draw you in with its subtler and sweeter flavours and you don't really realize that you're capable of finishing an entire bowl of curry on its own because it really is that addictive!
My experience with Vietnamese curry was a totally random one when I was on holiday a few years ago in Ho Chi Minh . I first ate it at a cafe located in World Square in District 1 and that's where I really fell in love with it! They served it with French baguettes of course. The curry gravy was extremely fragrant and tasty, yet underlying it was a complex mixture of spices that remained a mystery to me for many years. I figured I just had to crack the code on my own so I don't have to fly to HCM city to cure my cravings!
This is actually the 2nd or 3rd attempt at making Vietnamese curry and I am super pleased with the results! The first round was not spectacular and the end result tasted like a rather bland and normal curry. After scouring on the internet for countless Ca Ri Ga recipes and making quite a few wild guesses of my own (yes, sometimes I actually smell stuff first and imagine how they would taste if I added them into a dish) ... this is about as close to 90% as what I ate in Vietnam! Yippee!
The dish uses quite a fair number of spices and ingredients and I strongly recommend NOT omitting any of them.
Serves 5-6
Ingredients:
2.25 kg chicken parts (I used wings and drumlets but other chicken parts are fine as well)
3 medium sweet potatoes, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
Spice Paste(To grind in a blender):
40 g blue ginger (galangal)
100 g shallots
90 g garlic cloves
2 stalks of lemongrass (about 10 cm each)
1 large red chilli
Chicken Marinade:
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
1.5 tsp sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp soya sauce
Other Ingredients:
3.5 cup water
2.5 cup chicken stock
2 kaffir lime leaves
1/2 stalk of lemongrass, cut (about 5 cm)
1 star anise
4 tbsp fish sauce
4 tsp sugar
100 ml coconut cream (I used Kara brand)
1/4 evaporated milk
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
Directions:
Blend all ingredients required for the spice paste in a grinder or blender.
Wash the chicken parts and pat dry. In a large bowl, scoop the spice paste ingredients on top of the chicken, followed by the curry powder, turmeric powder and the rest of the other ingredients for the chicken marinade. Stir till the chicken is evenly coated with the spices and sauces. Leave to marinade in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight for better results.
Your chicken should look like this when it's done marinating!
The dish uses quite a fair number of spices and ingredients and I strongly recommend NOT omitting any of them.
Serves 5-6
Ingredients:
2.25 kg chicken parts (I used wings and drumlets but other chicken parts are fine as well)
3 medium sweet potatoes, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
Spice Paste(To grind in a blender):
40 g blue ginger (galangal)
100 g shallots
90 g garlic cloves
2 stalks of lemongrass (about 10 cm each)
1 large red chilli
Chicken Marinade:
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder
1.5 tsp sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp soya sauce
Other Ingredients:
3.5 cup water
2.5 cup chicken stock
2 kaffir lime leaves
1/2 stalk of lemongrass, cut (about 5 cm)
1 star anise
4 tbsp fish sauce
4 tsp sugar
100 ml coconut cream (I used Kara brand)
1/4 evaporated milk
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
Directions:
Blend all ingredients required for the spice paste in a grinder or blender.
Wash the chicken parts and pat dry. In a large bowl, scoop the spice paste ingredients on top of the chicken, followed by the curry powder, turmeric powder and the rest of the other ingredients for the chicken marinade. Stir till the chicken is evenly coated with the spices and sauces. Leave to marinade in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight for better results.
Your chicken should look like this when it's done marinating!
Heat up a wok with half a cup of vegetable cooking oil. Fry the sweet potatoes till they turn slightly brown on both sides. Frying the sweet potatoes first prevents them from disintegrating in the curry later on. Remove and drain on paper towels.
Without removing the oil, fry the marinated chicken parts (scoop out all the marinating spices in the bowl into the wok too!) on medium-low heat for about 8-10 minutes. Turn the chicken parts every now and then to prevent it from burning on either side. Frying them for awhile also releases the fragrance from the spices and makes your curry tastier.
Add the chicken stock and water into the wok and turn the heat down to low. Add the rest of the seasonings, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and star anise and bring the stew to boil for about 5 minutes. Add in the diced carrots and continue to let the curry stew for 15 minutes under low heat for the flavours to fully develop and for the carrots to slightly soften.
Add the fried sweet potatoes into the curry, followed by the evaporated milk and coconut cream. Close the wok with a lid and let the curry stew for another 20-25 minutes till the carrots have softened and can be broken easily with a fork.
Adjust the taste accordingly with water or seasoning if necessary.
Serve with baguettes, toasted white bread or else rice.
#vietnamesefood #chickencurry #cariga #vietnamesecurry
Add the chicken stock and water into the wok and turn the heat down to low. Add the rest of the seasonings, kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass and star anise and bring the stew to boil for about 5 minutes. Add in the diced carrots and continue to let the curry stew for 15 minutes under low heat for the flavours to fully develop and for the carrots to slightly soften.
Add the fried sweet potatoes into the curry, followed by the evaporated milk and coconut cream. Close the wok with a lid and let the curry stew for another 20-25 minutes till the carrots have softened and can be broken easily with a fork.
Adjust the taste accordingly with water or seasoning if necessary.
Serve with baguettes, toasted white bread or else rice.
#vietnamesefood #chickencurry #cariga #vietnamesecurry
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