Cà Ri Gà (Vietnamese Chicken Curry)
Cà Ri Gà (Vietnamese Chicken Curry) is a flavorful and hearty dish that has a special place in the cuisine of Saigon. This authentic recipe from a local chef will help you make and serve it at home exactly like in Saigon.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 865kcal
Ingredients
For the Curry
- 1 whole chicken, about 2.5-3 lbs (or use bone-in chicken pieces)
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons minced shallot
- 1¾ teaspoons salt, divided
- 3½ tablespoons curry powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- ½ tablespoon annatto seeds (optional)
- 6 chubby lemongrass stalks, bruised
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, smacked
- 2 cups canned coconut milk, divided
- 1½ cups water
- 21 oz sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 2 dried curry leaves or bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon sugar (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
To Serve
- 1 tablespoon salt (for the chili salt dip)
- 1 bird's eye chili, seeds removed and chopped (for the chili salt dip)
- banh mi baguette or rice vermicelli noodles
- Thai basil leaves
- cilantro
Instructions
- Use sharp poultry shears to cut the chicken into smaller pieces. Alternatively, you can use a mix of bone-in chicken pieces like thighs, drumsticks and breasts chopped into manageable pieces.
- Place the chicken pieces in a large mixing and toss with ⅓ of the minced garlic, ⅓ of the minced shallots, ¾ teaspoons salt and all of the curry powder and turmeric powder. Marinate for about 10-15 minutes.
- Place a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat and heat 2 tablespoon of oil. If using the annatto seeds, add them to the oil and let stand for a few seconds until the oil turns to a reddish color. Discard the seeds.
- Add lemongrass stalks and ginger and stir and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant. Then add the remaining minced shallots and garlic, cook for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Slightly increase the heat and add the chicken pieces to the pot. Cook until the outside is no longer pink, stirring a few times. This may take about 10 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk (reserving ¼ cup) and water to the pot and bring to a simmer. Then add the sweet potatoes, curry leaves (or bay leaves), remaining salt and sugar. The liquid should be enough to almost cover the chicken and sweet potatoes.
- Adjust the heat to maintain a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the chicken and sweet potatoes are tender.
- Once the chicken and sweet potatoes are tender, add the fish sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. Stir in the remaining coconut milk. If you are serving the curry with vermicelli noodles, you can add some water to thin it out.
To Serve
- With a mortar and pestle, pound the salt with the chopped bird's eye chili to make the dipping chili salt.
- Serve the curry hot with banh mi (or baguettes) or vermicelli noodles, Thai basil, cilantro and chili salt on the side.
Notes
I use 2½ teaspoons of Vietnamese curry powder and 1 teaspoon of curry powder from a different region for a more robust flavors. If you don't have Vietnamese curry powder, you may want to sprinkle some five-spice powder to the chicken pieces in Step 2 (marinating step).
I like my curry to be rich and creamy. You can make it lighter by adjusting the ratio of coconut milk and water.
Traditional cà ri gà in Saigon uses sweet potatoes. I once tried making it with potatoes and the result was clearly not as good as with sweet potatoes.
The nutrition estimate does not take the bread or vermicelli noodles into account. If you serve the curry with noodles, you may also put some bean sprouts on the side.
Nutrition
Calories: 865kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 61g | Saturated Fat: 30g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 3119mg | Potassium: 1305mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 21438IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 132mg | Iron: 9mg