Ingredients
- 1.5-2 lbs chicken thighs or drumsticks, bone-in and skin-on
- 2 medium potatoes, cut into large pieces
- 1 onion, large dice
- 4-6 medium carrots, cut into large pieces
- 5 tablespoon Madras curry powder, or any type of curry powder
- 2-3 stalks of lemongrass, trim top and cut crosswise into shorter lengths, bruise ends
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 5 oz coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- salt, to taste
Cornstarch Slurry (optional)
- 3 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Cut chicken thighs into 2-3" pieces. If using drumsticks, keep them whole. Season the chicken with salt and set aside.
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat and add a couple of tablespoons of oil.
- Add the potatoes and brown on all sides. Do this in batches to avoid overcrowding and set aside.
- Add a bit more oil, just enough to coat the bottom. Add chicken and brown on both sides. Do this in batches as well.
- Return the chicken to the pot and add diced onions. Sauté until slightly translucent.
- Stir in the curry powder and let it fry in the oil for about a minute to draw out the flavor.
- Add potatoes, carrots, lemongrass and bay leaves.
- Pour in the chicken stock and enough water to cover the ingredients.
- Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over medium/low heat for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Your cook time may vary depending on the size of your potatoes.
- Remove the lemongrass and bay leaves. Add coconut milk, fish sauce and sugar.
- Season with salt to taste. The amount you need will vary depending on how much salt is in your chicken stock. Start with a teaspoon.
- If you prefer a thicker curry, stir in cornstarch slurry. Mix together cornstarch and water and stir in about half of the slurry to start. Let the curry return to a boil. If it needs to be thicker, repeat the steps with cornstarch slurry.
- Serve Vietnamese Chicken Curry with crusty baguettes, rice vermicelli or steamed rice.
Notes
I prefer my Vietnamese Chicken Curry to be slightly thickened. Not as thick as Japanese curry, but not soupy either. After cooking, I thicken the curry broth a bit with cornstarch slurry.
Mix equal parts cornstarch and cold water. After seasoning the curry, slowly drizzle a tablespoon of cornstarch slurry into the simmering broth.
Stir the slurry in well, being careful not to break the potatoes, and allow the Ca Ri Ga to return to a boil. Repeat with the cornstarch slurry a tablespoon at a time until you reach your ideal consistency.
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