This was my first attempt to recreate a Vietnamese curry that I loved in Vancouver; however, the curry from my memories had large meatballs while this is a more traditional cà ri gà – a chicken curry. Still, it was delicious and a relatively quick curry with a short ingredient list to make on a weekday; it really helped with my curry craving that day! We sopped up the gravy with a baguette, as is done in Vietnam (so I’ve read, I’ve not been) but you can also serve it with rice or noodles.
I didn’t have a proper Vietnamese curry powder (I found a photo of this brand but I have no idea what is available in London)and so, on the advice I found online, substituted a very yellow (yup, lots of turmeric) Malaysian curry powder (Yeo’s brand in the packet). If you need a bit more heat, add some chili paste in but check first if you’re using a Malaysian powder – most have some chilli powder in the blend. Do make sure you give it as long a simmer as you can; too short a time and you’ll still be able to taste the raw spices.
Vietnamese Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry
adapted from this recipe.
serves 2-3.
Approx. 500g chicken thigh fillets, trimmed and cut into large chunks
1 large orange-fleshed sweet potato, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 large potato (floury), peeled
2 large shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stick lemongrass, left whole but smashed
a thumb sized lump of ginger, minced
4 tbsps curry powder
2 tbsps sunflower oil
160 mL coconut milk
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsps fish sauce
salt
2 spring onions, finely sliced
a few sprigs of coriander
Mix the chunks of thigh fillet together with 2 tbsps of the curry powder and a good pinch of salt. Set aside.
Prepare all your vegetables. Cut the potato in half and then chop one half into large chunks and cut the other half into small pieces. These small pieces will help thicken the curry.
Heat a pot over medium heat and add the sunflower oil to heat. When hot, add the shallots, garlic and ginger and saute until the shallots are soft and the ginger and garlic are fragrant. Add the rest of the curry powder and the lemongrass and continue frying for a couple of minutes.
Throw in the chicken and cook until no raw bits appear. Add the coconut milk and then cover with water. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
Add the vegetables, add water if required (to cover them all) and continue simmering – probably another 20-30 minutes. The vegetables should be soft and the smaller bits of potato disintegrating into the sauce. As well, there shouldn’t be a raw curry powder flavour to the curry; if there is, continue simmering, adding water if it gets too thick.
Stir in the sugar, fish sauce and salt to taste. Dish out into bowls and top with the spring onion and coriander.
Serve with white rice or noodles or a baguette on the side.
Sun, 8 May, 2011 at 22:29
That’s comfort food. Great recipe.
Mon, 9 May, 2011 at 00:19
Su-lin – this is very similar to a recipe I love to make when the curry bug hits me. Vietnamese curry powder is available in the Spice Shop just off Portobello Road, Notting Hill http://www.thespiceshop.co.uk/
Mon, 9 May, 2011 at 00:35
looks delicious!
Mon, 9 May, 2011 at 11:09
This sounds delicious – could do with some right now! x
Mon, 9 May, 2011 at 11:42
What a delicious looking dish and so original- I’ve never had a Vietnamese curry before, must rectify that v.soon
Mon, 9 May, 2011 at 15:28
Oooh – I’ve never had a Vietnamese curry. It looks delicious.
Mon, 9 May, 2011 at 17:33
Bread. Curry. Time on the couch. Now that’s the makings for a great night. This looks fabulous.
Mon, 9 May, 2011 at 18:51
I’ve never heard of a baguette being used but I guess it’s a nod toward Vietnam French colonial heritage. I’ve not tried Vietnamese curries but I’m always happy with a good curry.
Tue, 10 May, 2011 at 03:44
So going to try this – thanks for the recipe!
There is a place in the City of London which has a Rendang version of Banh Mi!
http://momowich.com/menu.html
Tue, 10 May, 2011 at 08:51
Great stuff! I love recreating dishes that I’ve tried overseas 🙂 Ahh the memories!
Tue, 10 May, 2011 at 10:58
This post was the answer to my beginning of the week prayer. I had 2 packs of chicken thigh fillets defrosting and had not thought about what to do, my first email of the day was your post so with only a tin of coconut milk to get I decided to make it. It was really lovely and the baguette was a great addition, great flavour the right amount of heat, we all loved it, many thanks. Carole.
Tue, 10 May, 2011 at 16:09
Suddenly I’m seeing SE Asian recipes all over my favourite blogs. Bizarre. But still, it’s not difficult to understand why. This recipe is just another great example!
Tue, 10 May, 2011 at 19:38
Two great things here, apart from the recipe. One, a Vietnamese curry – I’ve been and it’s still new on me. I LOVE new things to try. Secondly, bread to mop up curry? What a great idea, for whatever reason I had never thought to mop up a wet SE Asian curry with soft bread. And yet it would work so well.
I love discovering new things 🙂
Tue, 10 May, 2011 at 20:27
Looks deeelish! I was just at a Vietnamese restaurant over the weekend and saw curry on the menu. I’ll definitely order it next time. 🙂
Fri, 13 May, 2011 at 12:31
it’s a lovely curry, Su-Lin. i still have to make it to your beloved Vancouver. xo shayma
Mon, 16 May, 2011 at 17:51
Rufus: Total comfort food indeed!
paul: Thanks for the lead – went to visit over the weekend and found it there. Didn’t buy it yet though…was a little shocked by the price but I suppose it is Notting Hill!
kat: Thank you!
William: All curries are fabulous, aren’t they? I’ve never met a style of curry I dislike (no wait, I dislike Chinese style curries which are mostly curry powder and cornstarch…).
gastrogeek: One of the Vietnamese restaurants in the east must surely offer it…
Lizzie: They’re quite mild but delicious.
Tori: I like the way you think. 🙂
Robert: They do love their baguettes in Vietnam and it’s the base for their beloved banh mi sandwiches: https://tamarindandthyme.wordpress.com/2007/06/22/bahn-mi-for-me/
Hungry Female: That’s just crazy now! 😉
Lorraine: My list of things to recreate is as long as my list of places to go and eat!
Carole: I’m so glad the recipe worked for you! I’m really chuffed!
aforkfulofspaghetti: I’m going through one of my regular Asian food kicks right now… not sure what sets them off.
The Grubworm: Wikipedia says that curries are popular in South Vietnam? Bread is so fantastic with curry – I have great memories of soaking up the gravy of my mother’s Nyonya style chicken curry with lots of sliced white bread. Soaks it up like a sponge!
June: Do try it – it’s definitely curry but at the same time very different from those of other cultures.
shayma: I might be heading over to your current city in September…
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