Vietnamese Chicken Curry – Cà Ri Gà
May 30, 2025 09:03 AM
Cà Ri Gà (Vietnamese Chicken Curry) is a flavorful and hearty dish that has a special place in the cuisine of Saigon. Beyond its delicious taste, it is a dish of comfort – the warmth of spices and the richness of coconut milk evoke a sense of home and nostalgia. Here is the recipe from a local chef to help you replicate the taste exactly like in Saigon.
The cuisine of Saigon has been shaped by its proximity to and historical influences from neighboring countries like Cambodia and Thailand. As a result, while you will not see any curry dish in Northern Vietnam, you will find chicken curry in this Southern city. It is one of the most favorite comfort foods there, besides bo kho .
This dish is cooked using bone-in chicken which is more flavorful than boneless chicken. Compared to other curries in the region, Vietnamese chicken curry is quite mild with less heat. Even kids or those who can’t eat spicy foods will enjoy it. Of course, for spice lovers, dried chilies can easily be added to adjust the heat level.
The use of ingredients like lemongrass, ground turmeric, and fish sauce also gives it a unique Vietnamese twist. Besides, Vietnamese curry powder is also slightly different as it contains additional spices such as annatto seeds, star anises, and fennel seeds while omitting cumin. I usually like to combine Vietnamese curry powder with one from a different region for a more robust flavor. If you cannot find Vietnamese curry powder, I suggest adding a bit of five-spice powder to the dish.
Another interesting thing is that authentic cà ri gà of Saigon uses sweet potatoes, not potatoes or carrots. The sweetness from sweet potatoes complements the dish very well. I tried using potatoes, but the dish clearly doesn’t taste as delicious as with sweet potatoes.
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
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Cook Time:
14 minutes
Total Time:
34 minutes
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