Vietnamese Chicken Curry – Cà Ri Gà

—In food processor, blend segmented lemongrass stalks until it reaches a fine pulpy blend. Add onion, garlic clove, and ginger. Blend until a paste. Regardless of what my husband suggests, no liquid will be needed.

—-Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add paste and briefly heat through. Add curry and chili flakes and briefly heat through. Add chicken and coconut milk. Add water (or chicken broth) so liquid covers chicken if necessary. Simmer approximately 20 minutes or longer. (If you prefer, you can wait till the end to sample the final product and check for spiciness, then add the chili flakes at the end of the recipe to achieve desired heat level. Some curry powders are spicier than others, and it can be hard to tell how how the curry is if you haven’t used it before.)

—Add potatoes and carrots. Simmer another 20 minutes until vegetables are tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with white rice or traditionally it is accompanied by crusty French bread to sop up all the tasty goodness.