Ca Ri Ga - Vietnamese Style Chicken Curry

Ca Ri Ga - Vietnamese Style Chicken Curry

Chicken Curry Noodle Soup Stew

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Since November I have cooked curry about 20 times, before that I have never cooked curry or even care to eat it.  I know plenty of people who enjoy eating Thai curry made with coconut milk, hot Indian curry, or Japanese saucy curry.  I, however, never really develop a taste for curries; I guess we all have a kryptonite.

So what happened last November that changed my mind about curry?  I tasted the best curry at Thanksgiving dinner, made by my boyfriend's aunt.  She used to be a cook for a living, and he raves about a cooking all the time.  I was very skeptic at first, but he said ca ri ga was one of her best dish!  To my surprise her curry was delicious!  It had a lot of curry flavor and the right kick of spiciness. I didn't taste any coconut milk but I can tell a little bit of milk was use.  If only I tasted her curry first, my feeling for curries may not be same as before.

I spent the last 6 months trying to re-create that curry, bless my family and boyfriend for eating so much curry and being my guinea pig.  I made curry so many times I can probably make it in my sleep.  But I don't regret any of it, actually learned a lot through trial and error.  For optimal flavor, I suggest marinading your chicken over night.  To achieve curry flavor in your broth, you'll need to cook curry powder into your broth similar to the way you would make Bun Bo Hue.  If you choose to use milk, you should add your milk a little at a time on very low heat.  I find it best to add milk at the very end.

This curry does not have that rich flavor from the coconut milk.  It's not as saucy because I prefer it to be like a broth so you can eat it with noodles or bread.  If you like it more saucy, I would use less water.  This curry is more savory, with a kick of chili in every bite.  You'll definitely be sweating when eating curry at my house.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

One whole chicken cut into smaller pieces
1 can of coconut juice
1 can of chicken broth
2-3 stalk of lemon grass
1 stub of ginger
1 tablespoon of minced shallots
1 tablespoon of minced lemongrass
1/2 tablespoon of garlic
1 bay leaf
1 bag of curry powder
1 teaspoon of chili power
3 lbs bag of Yukon potato
fish sauce
sugar
salt
mushroom seasoning
water cooking oil

1.  Marinade chicken with 3 tablespoon of cooking oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, 4 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of mushroom seasoning, 1/2 a bag of curry powder (about 3 tablespoon), minced garlic, minced shallots, and minced lemongrass.  Marinade overnight if possible.
2.  Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes, soak in water until ready to use.
3.  In a pot, brown the marinaded chicken.  Does not need to be cooked all the way.
4.  Add the coconut juice and chicken broth.  Let chicken simmer in this mixture for about 10 minutes. If you want the curry to be saucy then you can go ahead and the lemongrass stalk,ginger, and bay leaf.  Season the broth with salt and sugar.
5.  In a pan add 2 tablespoon of cooking oil on very low heat.  Add the other half of the curry powder and cook into the oil.  Add this mixture to the broth.
5.  If you want more of soup broth, then you'll want to add more water as if you are making a noodle soup.  Season the broth with salt and sugar to your liking.  Let everything marry in the pot for another 20 minutes.
6.  Add the potatoes at the very end because they will cook very fast.  Just before the curry is done add about 1 cup of milk a little bit at a time on very low heat, mixing it into the broth.  Turn off the heat.
7.  Curry can be eating noodle, bread, or rice.  Garnish with some green onions and cilantro.  Enjoy!

Bo Kho - Vietnamese Beef Stew

Bo Kho - Vietnamese Beef Stew

Beef Stew Vietnamese

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I had a holiday party around Christmas time and I made a pot of Bo Kho and Ca Ri Ga.   I have to admit I don't make stews very often but I figure it would be a hearty meal and will definitely warm up my guests. That night I had many compliments on my pot of Bo Kho.  My friends requested that I post the recipe to my blog with the exact measurements.  So for this recipe I actually measured what I can out, but sometimes during the cooking process I forget.  But I really want to emphasize the importance of tasting your food.  It will help you improve your cooking skills tremendously.

Bo Kho would probably not make my top 20 of favorite Viet food to eat because it's simply too heavy for me.  I prefer eating pho or bun bo hue over bo kho, but stews are great during the cold Indiana winter.  The day after the party, I brought home some bo kho to my family.  My sister-in-law showed me a great way to lighten a hearty bowl of bo kho and it made it so incredibly delicious.  She squeezed two lime wedges to a bowl of bo kho and top it with lots of cilantro.   The lime and cilantro added depth and tanginess to the broth.  I didn't even care about the star  of the dish, the shank, it was all about that broth.  If you haven't tried lime and cilantro with your bo kho, you have to give it a try!


Ingredients:

2 lbs of beef shank
2 stalk of lemongrass (cut into 4 and then crushed)
1 can of coconut juice
1/2 can of 6 oz tomato paste
6-7 carrots (cut into 1 inch pieces)
vegetable oil
onion powder
garlic powder
mushroom seasoning
chili powder
fish sauce
sugar
minced garlic
minced lemongrass
bay leaf

Marinade for 2 lbs of beef shank:

3 tablespoon of fish sauce
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 teaspoon of chili powder (this depends on the spice level of your chili powder and how spicy you want it to be)
1/2 tablespoon of minced lemongrass
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
2 tablespoon of bo kho seasoning
1/2 teaspoon of salt

1.  Cut up the beef shank into cubes.  Keep in mind beef shank shrink during the cooking process.
2. Marinate the beef shank with the marinade over night if possible or at least 2-3 hours before cooking.
3.  In a large pot, heat up a little bit of vegetable oil and pour the marinated beef shank in the pot.  You want to brown the outside of the meat.
4.  Once the meat has brown evenly, add about 80% of the tomato paste and leave the rest for later use. Coat the meat with the tomato paste.
5.  Add enough coconut juice to cover the meat.  Put a lid on the pot and let this simmer on low heat for about 20-30 minutes.  The coconut will add sweetness to your broth and help tenderize the shank.
6.  Add water about 12 cups of water to help dilute the seasoning.  For a more flavorful broth, replace 8 cups of water with two cans of chicken broth.
7.  Add two bay leaves and lemongrass stalk to the pot, season the pot with additional salt, sugar, mushroom seasoning.  I added 1-2 teaspoon of salt, 3 teaspoon of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of mushroom seasoning.  Remember to taste your food!
8.  In a separate pan, heat a tablespoon of cooking oil.  Add 1 tablespoon of the bo kho gia vi to the oil and let the gia vi cook in the oil.  Be careful not to let it burn.  Once the oil and bo gia vi marry together, add that mixture to the pot.

9.  Let pot simmer on medium heat with lid on for about 40 minutes.  At this point the broth should be at the right consistency, not too water but not too thick.  The meat should be tender enough to eat but still stay in tact.
10.  Add the carrots and turn the heat down low.  If you put the lid, on the carrots will cooked pretty fast.  You don't want to overcook the carrots and become mushy.
11.  Heat up another tablespoon of cooking oil in the pan.  You want to add the remainder of the tomato and more minced lemon grass tot he oil.  You want the minced lemongrass to become fragrance and the tomato paste to color the oil.  You will add this mixture to the pot and achieve the pretty red color and the lemongrass will fragrance the broth some more.
12.  Prepare yourself a bowl of bo kho with French baguettes or rice noodles (hu tieu).
13.  Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onions, squeeze a little bit of lime to your bo kho .
14.  Enjoy!

Ga Ragu - Chicken Ragu

Ga Ragu - Chicken Ragu

Asian Fusion Baguette Chicken Stew Vietnamese

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I really love the concept of ca ri (curry) or beef stew (bo kho). Slowed cook meat with tender vegetables makes a hearty meal. There's another dish that fit in the stewed meat category yet we don't hear very often in Asian cuisine, ragu or nagu. I did a little research online and found some facts. Ragu originated in Bologna, Italy. It's meat that is slowly cooked in a tomato base until tender. Some recipes includes different vegetables such as onion, carrot, and celery and usually serve over pasta. If you are the thinking about the Ragu pasta sauce, then that's exactly it! It's such a popular sauce that a lot of chef from different country did a take on it inspired by their own culture. There's a vietnamese version that my mom always make. And what makes it vietnamese? You guessed it...it's the fish sauce! It's similar to curry but of course different spices are used but you can use similar vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and onions. You can add celery, mushroom, and if you are making it around this time of year you can add pumpkin. I've seen a version with crab legs. So give this recipe a try, goes great with white rice or baguettes.

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken legs cut in half

1 lb chicken thighs cut in half
salt
garlic powder
black pepper
sugar
mushroom seasoning
fish sauce to your liking
minced garlic

1 can of coconut juice/soda

1/2 small can of tomato paste

3 Idaho potatoes (cut into cubes)
4 medium carrots (cut into 1 in. section)
1 medium onion (sliced)
1 bay leaf (optional)
cooking oil1.

1. Marinade the chicken with 5 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon minced garlic,1 tablespoon of  mushroom seasoning, and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
2. Marinade the potatoes and carrots with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
3. Heat up cooking oil to a pan and sear the potatoes and carrots, don't completely cook the vegetables. 4. Set the potatoes and carrots aside for later.
5. Repeat step #3 with the chicken, again you don't have to completely cook the chicken.
6. Transfer chicken to a large pot and coat the chicken with the tomato paste. Add 1 cans of coconut juice/soda, I like using the soda because the carbonation helps tenderize the chicken.  Also add 1 cup of water or chicken broth.  Add about 1 teaspoon of salt to the pot.
7. Let the chicken simmer in the liquid for 20 minutes and then add the carrots. Add the potatoes after 5 minutes. Add more fish sauce if needed.  Let everything simmer for about 15 minutes and then add the onions at the very end. Serve over rice or with baguettes, enjoy!