I made this before leaving for California. I typed up a recipe but can't find it on my computer. I was a little distracted. I received bad news around 1:00 PM on Thursday afternoon and then spent the rest of the day trying to figure out how to get everything ready so that I could leave for California. When I got home, I was a little numb. I had boneless chicken thighs defrosted in the refrigerator for the Vietnamese Chicken Curry.
As I was cooking, I was making plans on when and how to get to California. I told the bf what to expect. I said I was leaving for California as soon as I can get everything ironed out. I even planed out his meals for the next week.
As I was going through my pictures folder, I realize I did not post this before leaving last week. I had to rewrite the recipe since I can't locate it. I probably saved it under an ambiguous name in my music folder.
I remember an ex-friend's mom used to make this curry. It was very soupy and she served it with fresh baked french baguettes from the Vietnamese grocery store. One Thanksgiving she made it with turkey. She also used pearl onions. The pearl onions made the curry really pretty but I don't think it makes a huge difference in taste.
Below is my version of this curry.
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 pounds boneless skinless thighs
1 tablespoons curry powder (many people recommend D&D Gold Product brand with three bells on the label. I used the Sing Kung brand Ca Ri Ni An Do Madras Curry powder)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 onion, diced (or pearl onions)
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
I can coconut milk
Water to cover
salt
black pepper
MSG
1 teaspoon sugar
½ stalk lemongrass , cut into 2 inch pieces
1 bay leaf
2 carrots, cut into 1 inch slices
1. Heat a large dutch oven, add oil. When oil is hot, add chicken and cook until browned. Add curry powder and allow to toast for a minute. Add garlic and onions. Cook until onions are soft. Add potatoes and cook another minute.
2. Deglaze pot with coconut milk. Add water to cover. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the carrots. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer.
3. When potatoes are cooked, add carrots and cook until carrots are slightly tender.
I am SOOO happy I found your blog. I love all the Vietnamese Recipes!! I never realized how much I would miss eating my mom's homecooked meals. I look forward to coming home to her house just so I can eat.. Npw I can save the commute and make it myself!!
ReplyDeleteb.t.w do you have a recipe for 'che ba mau" - three layer dessert i think is what it's translated to
Tiffany,
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting my blog. I realize I post a lot of Vietnamese recipes. I am not Vietnamese so I really can't say my versions are authentic Vietnamese. I grew up in southern California and was exposed to a lot of food from different Asian cultures. I notice that many Asian dishes share similar roots. For example, I just made Hainanese chicken rice and the Vietnamese version is called Com Ga Hai Nam and the Thai version is called Khao Mun Gai. I tend to make the version that I grew up with. (My family is from Yunnan province and the cuisine has a lot of Burmese, Lao, Vietnamese and Thai influences.)
Che ba mau is actually very easy to make (we call it three-layer bean drink and usually order it at Pho Cali). The most difficult part is making the banh lot (aka cendol or lod song). I was actually planning on making banh lot last week but I got distracted. I will post the recipe as soon as I make it.