Vietnamese Yellow Chicken Curry (Ca Ri Ga)

About This Recipe

Ca ri ga is Vietnam's take on curry, a dish that arrived via French-colonial and South Asian trade influence and was adapted into something distinctly Vietnamese -- milder, sweeter, and built on coconut milk, lemongrass, and curry powder rather than a complex spice paste. Chicken thighs and sweet potato simmer together in the coconut broth until the chicken is fall-apart tender and the sweet potato has thickened the sauce slightly. The technique that matters is browning the chicken first to build a flavor base, then blooming the curry powder and lemongrass in the rendered fat before adding the coconut milk, which keeps the spices from tasting raw or dusty. Simmering low and slow, uncovered toward the end, lets the sauce reduce to the right consistency -- thick enough to cling to rice but still pourable. Served over rice or with a crusty baguette for dipping, a nod to Vietnam's French-influenced bread culture, this dish is warming, mildly spiced comfort food found at family tables and street food stalls throughout Vietnam, especially in cooler months.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 900 gchicken thighs(bone-in, cut into pieces)
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 1onion(sliced)
• 2 stalkslemongrass(smashed and cut into 5cm pieces)
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 2 tbspyellow curry powder
• 1 cancoconut milk(400ml)
• 1.5 cupschicken stock
• 2 tbspfish sauce
• 1 tbspsugar
• 2sweet potatoes(peeled and cut into chunks)
• 2carrots(cut into chunks)
• 0.25 cupcilantro(chopped, for serving)

Instructions

1. 1

   Brown the chicken

   Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown chicken pieces on both sides, 6-8 minutes total, then remove.

2. 2

   Cook the aromatics

   Add onion and lemongrass to the pot and cook 4-5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and curry powder, stirring 1 minute until fragrant.

3. 3

   Build the broth

   Return chicken to the pot. Add coconut milk, stock, fish sauce, and sugar. Bring to a simmer.

4. 4

   Simmer

   Cover and simmer 20 minutes, then add sweet potato and carrots. Simmer 15-20 more minutes uncovered until the chicken is tender and vegetables are cooked through.

5. 5

   Reduce and season

   If the sauce is thin, simmer uncovered a few more minutes to thicken. Taste and adjust fish sauce and sugar.

6. 6

   Serve

   Remove lemongrass pieces, scatter with cilantro, and serve hot over rice or with a baguette.

Variations

• •

  Use beef chuck instead of chicken for ca ri bo, simmering longer until the beef is tender.

• •

  Add taro instead of or alongside sweet potato, a common regional variation.

• •

  Serve with rice vermicelli noodles instead of rice for a different textural pairing.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days; the flavor improves overnight. Reheat gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of stock if the sauce has thickened too much.

Frequently Asked Questions