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Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Cà Ri Gà)

Thu, Dec 29, 2011 | 16 Comments

posted in: Noodle Soups and Sauces, Recipes, Vietnamese recipes | tagged as: chicken, TOS

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Make this Vietnamese chicken curry with store-bought or with my homemade Vietnamese curry powder. Like all stews, it tastes better the next day and also freezes very well.

Vietnamese Curry Soup

Vietnamese Curry Soup

Vietnamese chicken curry (or cà ri gà) is a simple stew that is a wonderfully flavorful and cooks up super fast. It also works well with duck drumsticks but will require a longer cooking time.

Vietnamese Curry Powder

Vietnamese Curry Powder

It’s best to use Vietnamese curry powder which is what gives this dish its unique flavors. If you can’t find Vietnamese curry powder in your local Asian grocery store, you can make your own with my recipe here which I’ve spent weeks researching and taste-testing. You can also substitute Madras curry powder which will work but won’t taste as authentic.

The recipe is simple:

  • marinate chicken
  • heat oil and toss in garlic
  • brown chicken
  • toss in everything else (except coconut milk)
  • cover ingredients with water and simmer 30 minutes
  • add coconut milk and simmer a further 10 minutes and you’re done!

Serve over rice noodles, wheat noodles, or like my dad, you can just dip in chunks of French bread.

My mom made this Vietnamese curry stew quite often when I was growing up. The stew freezes very well so when she goes on vacation without my dad (like when she visits me in Dubai for months at a time), she will make a huge pot of this stuff and freeze them in quart-size containers so that my dad can defrost them as needed for dinner.

I still remember the first time I ever made this curry for my husband Scotch – which was probably more than a decade ago. I followed my mom’s instructions and so ended up with a huge potful – probably enough to feed a small army for months!

Even though it was only Scotch and I, I wasn’t worried because I figured that we would make quick work of the curry. However, when Scotch tasted it, he only ate a small bowl and wanted no more. I was left on my own to finish it all.

By the third day, I didn’t want to see curry ever again.

Vietnamese Chicken Curry Soup

Of course, that was back in the day when I was just learning how to cook and Scotch was just learning how to appreciate Vietnamese food. Being used to more hearty stews and thick curries, my Viet curry seemed very watered down and bland to him.

These days, I make the curry consistency somewhere between a soup and a stew – not too watery and not too thick. If it’s too watery, I will add a little corn stach dissolved in cold water to thicken it up. Scotch now loves eating this curry and in a blind taste test, even preferred my own blend of spices to the store bought ones!

I like to add carrots, potatoes, and taro into my curry stew. In Dubai, I buy local taro (usually imported from Eqypt) that goes by the name of “gulgas” in the supermarkets here. It’s not as flavorful as say the stuff that’s imported from Thailand, but it’s a fraction of the price and doesn’t require me driving 30 minutes to a Thai supermarket in Karama.

Taro or Gulgas

Local Taro or Gulgas

This is what the gulga looks like when peeled and halved:

Taro or Gulgas

I make a simplified version of my mom’s recipe by throwing everything into a large pot – my mom would probably prefer that I remove the browned chicken and then toss in the taro and potatoes to brown separately but I’m a big fan of one-pot meals and less dishes – and this version is just as flavorful.

The chicken is simmered in the stock until it falls off the bone. It’s best to use skin-on chicken drumsticks and thighs as the breast meat will dry out during the cooking process. If substitution duck legs, remember in increase the simmering time until the duck meat is very tender.

Vietnamese Chicken Curry Soup

I find that this is a very versatile curry and you can highly personalize it to your taste. You can vary the type and the amount of root vegetables in the recipe depending on your preference. And add more or less tomato paste/sauce if you like. Make it your own!

Just don’t forget the all important squeeze of lemon right before serving and it’s best to throw in some chopped fresh herbs at the very end – I tend towards cilantro and scallions, my parents also throw in Asian/Thai basil. In case you want to kick it up a notch – you can add fresh hot chillis or a squeeze of Sriracha sauce.

Oh, and Scotch goes the traditional route and dips French bread into his curry. Me? I prefer fresh egg noodles or 1/4-inch rice noodles.

Enjoy!

Vietnamese chicken curry soup

Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Cà Ri Gà)

Course: Entree
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 461 kcal
Author: Ginger and Scotch

Make this Vietnamese chicken curry with store-bought or with my homemade Vietnamese curry powder. Like all stews, it tastes better the next day and also freezes very well.

Print

Ingredients

  • 2 lb (1 kg) chicken thighs and/or drumsticks
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 bags Vietnamese curry powder* (about 20 g total) or 4 tablespoons home-made Vietnamese curry
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 potato or sweet potato (peeled and cut into large chunks)
  • 1 taro (peeled and cut into large chunks)
  • 2 large carrots (peeled and cut into large chunks)
  • 1 large onion (cut into wedges)
  • 2 stalks lemon grass (smashed, no need to cut up so that it can be removed later)
  • 1- inch piece ginger (peeled and halved so it can be easily removed later)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • 1 quart water (or 1 liter)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2-4 tablespoons Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce (depends on strength and saltiness of your fish sauce brand)
  • 1 can coconut milk (13.5 oz)
  • salt and pepper (to taste)
  • 1 lemon (cut into wedges)
  • fresh herbs (for garnish such as cilantro, scallions, Asian basil)

Instructions

  1. Rinse chicken with water, drain and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Sprinkle 1 bag of store-bought (or 2 tablespoons home-made) curry powder over the chicken and mix with your hands or spoon. Refrigerate chicken for 4 hours minimum.

  3. In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat.
  4. Toss in the minced garlic and fry for about 30 seconds.
  5. Add chicken and brown on all sides.
  6. Throw in the potatoes, taro, carrots, onion, lemongrass, ginger, bay leaves, tomato paste, water, sugar, and fish sauce and stir to thoroughly mix everything.
  7. Bring water to boil and add the remaining bag of curry powder (or 2 more tablespoons of homemade). Simmer 30 minutes.

  8. Add coconut milk and simmer 10 minutes.

  9. Salt and pepper taste. Remove ginger slices and lemongrass if possible.

  10. Serve with rice, noodles, or French bread. Add garnish of fresh herbs and serve with lemon wedges.

Recipe Notes

*If you cannot find Vietnamese curry powder, you can use my recipe to make your own, or you can substitute Indian Madras curry powder.

-Serve with rice noodles, egg noodles, French bread, or even Udon noodles (my favorite)

-My favorite brand of coconut milk to use is Chaokoh which is sometimes sold under the Aroy-D brand name. I find most other brands to be bland.

Nutrition Facts
Vietnamese Chicken Curry (Cà Ri Gà)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 461 Calories from Fat 279
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g 48%
Saturated Fat 18g 90%
Cholesterol 77mg 26%
Sodium 803mg 33%
Potassium 996mg 28%
Total Carbohydrates 23g 8%
Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
Sugars 7g
Protein 23g 46%
Vitamin A 79.7%
Vitamin C 31.1%
Calcium 7.5%
Iron 31%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This post was originally published on December 29, 2011 and last updated on May 8, 2017.


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About Sandy

I’m Sandy (aka “Ginger”), married to “Scotch” (not his real name).
 
I believe that it’s not just noodles we are creating, but memories, traditions, and a sense of pride.
  
I believe in slowing down, relishing time spent with our children and loved ones, and bonding through shared noodle-making experiences.  Read more...

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  1. Andy says

    Mon, Sep 18, 2017 at 2:57 am

    I love your recipes! One thing I don’t understand about this one is the “1- inch piece ginger” and the instructions just say add it in with everything else. I buy my ginger as roots and it doesn’t make sense to me to just toss one chunk of ginger root in. I would expect to grate it or slice it (and peel it). Can you please explain? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Sandy says

      Mon, Sep 18, 2017 at 11:22 am

      Hi Andy, thank you for catching this. I will update the recipe to be more specific. Let me know if this helps: You will need a thumb-sized piece of ginger. It is for flavoring the broth. What I do is peel the ginger, then cut into thirds and toss it into the pot. Then I remove the ginger pieces and lemongrass at the end of the cooking period.

      Reply
  2. Claire says

    Tue, Jul 18, 2017 at 11:02 pm

    Wow! Looks so delicious 😡

    Reply
  3. adriana says

    Sun, Jan 25, 2015 at 5:48 am

    How come I followed your recipe and it came out wayyy too spicy? I think the curry rubbed on the chiken is enough. No need for 2 more tablespoons

    Reply
  4. Bev says

    Sat, Mar 1, 2014 at 3:07 pm

    thank you for sharing your recipes and insights. love your blog and will share the link on FB!

    Reply
  5. Bea says

    Thu, Jul 11, 2013 at 9:40 pm

    Thank you so much for this recipe! I did all kinds of research and tried to add elements of each to what I made but yours was the guiding/principle recipe and the only one to have tomato paste (which made a huge, yummy difference).

    Reply
    • ginger says

      Sun, Jul 14, 2013 at 4:29 am

      Hi Bea,

      So glad to hear that the recipe worked out for you! This is one of my fave dishes.

      Reply
  6. IshitaUnblogged says

    Thu, Dec 20, 2012 at 12:07 am

    Ahhhhhh…. this looks good… I believe ur tweet about the aroma filling up your house!

    Reply
  7. Jessica Macpherson says

    Thu, Apr 12, 2012 at 7:55 pm

    It sounds delicious!! Do you think this would work well with fish?

    Reply
    • ginger says

      Fri, Apr 13, 2012 at 6:41 am

      I’ve never had it with fish but I don’t see why not! Give it a try and let me know how it goes 🙂

      Reply
  8. Mickie says

    Fri, Jan 6, 2012 at 1:09 am

    I actually love this recipe and i want to cook this on weekends…

    Reply
  9. Lan says

    Tue, Jan 3, 2012 at 11:23 pm

    i love this dish. my mom used to make me portion sizes to freeze when i went off to college. it was always so perfect to tuck into when i was homesick.

    Reply
  10. Eylyn says

    Mon, Jan 2, 2012 at 1:20 pm

    I want to try a lot of food from different countries and I will give this a try..

    Reply
  11. Felicia says

    Sat, Dec 31, 2011 at 7:28 am

    This sounds like a great dish for winter!

    Reply
  12. Debs @ thespanishwok says

    Fri, Dec 30, 2011 at 3:15 pm

    Yes please, this looks soooooo delicious, thanks.

    Reply
  13. The UDG says

    Fri, Dec 30, 2011 at 5:39 am

    My tummy just growled. That looks so good. I wonder if it would ship well…

    Reply

About Me

Family PhotoI’m Sandy (aka “Ginger”), married to “Scotch” (not his real name).

I believe that it’s not just noodles we are creating, but memories, traditions, and a sense of pride.

I believe in slowing down, relishing time spent with our children and loved ones, and bonding through shared noodle-making experiences.  Read more…

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