Here is a nice traumatizing story that lives in my mind when I eat this dish. I’d always wanted a pet rabbit when I was growing up. One lucky day, my grandmother finally bought a rabbit at the Vietnamese farmers market in our neighborhood, where a vendor sold live ducks, chickens, and rabbits. I held it, petted it, but didn’t quite think of the perfect name for my new pet. I decided to go outside to play, and came home to a delicious curry that my grandma had made with…you guessed it. Nowadays, I just stick with chicken when it comes to this curry.
I do prefer chicken with bones for a dish like this so it makes its own stock. That way, you get lots of drippy sauce for dipping bread in—which is my favorite way to eat both stews and curries. I like to tear the bread and dunk it into the sauce. This isn’t necessarily a đặc biệt recipe, but I like to think that my grandma using livestock in her recipes was pretty đặc biệt.
Unlike Thai curries, which are made with spice paste, the Vietnamese use powder curry blends. My family mostly went for yellow Madras curry. I buy the Pyramid brand, sold at Asian stores.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes (plus 30 minutes for chilling)
Yield
6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Using a mortar and pestle, crush together 4 cloves garlic, 1 whole Thai chile, and the minced bottoms of 2 stalks lemongrass, bottoms minced and top fibrous part kept whole, until everything is well crushed into a chunky paste. Add in 5 Tbsp. Madras curry powder, 6 Tbsp. fish sauce, and 2 Tbsp. sugar. Mix well.
Step 2
Place 3 lb. bone-in chicken pieces (any combo of thighs, legs, breasts, and wings) in a baking dish, and rub it evenly with the mixture. Let marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Step 3
Set a large pot over high heat. Add in 2 Tbsp. coconut oil, then the chicken. Let the chicken brown on each side, about 3 minutes per side.
Step 4
Add in 1 onion, sliced. Sauté for 2–3 minutes or until the onions are a bit translucent.
Step 5
Add in 6 cups of water along with 1 can coconut milk or cream, 5 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks, 5 waxy potatoes, cut in half, lemongrass tops, and 3 lime leaves, if using. Bring to a simmer.
Step 6
Add in 1 tsp. kosher salt and the remaining 1 Tbsp. fish sauce.
Step 7
Cook the chicken for about 1–1½ hours or until the chicken is tender and registers an internal temperature of 165°F.
Step 8
Garnish with ½ cup roughly chopped cilantro and serve with Bánh Mì Bread.
Recipe notes
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