Cà Ri Gà – Vietnamese Chicken Curry

In a large bowl, add the chicken pieces, half of the vegetable oil, the shallots, minced garlic, minced lemongrass, minced ginger, black pepper, sugar, 1/3 of the fish sauce, and 2 tablespoons of curry paste. Thoroughly coat the chicken with the mixture and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place the chicken in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for 6-8 hours.

In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat the remaining half of the oil to medium heat. Remove chicken from refrigerator. Brush off the larger pieces of shallots/garlic/ginger from the chicken (to prevent it from burning) and chicken into the pot in batches. Lightly brown the chicken on both sides, about 5-6 minutes. Place the browned chicken on a large plate. Repeat cooking the rest of the chicken until done.

Once all the chicken has been browned, discard all but 1 tablespoon of the oil/grease from the pot. Throw in the diced onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and chilies and saute for 1 minute before adding in the remaining 3 tablespoons of curry paste. Cook for an additional 30-40 seconds to allow the aromatics and spices to release their oils and bring out their flavors.

Pour in the coconut milk and chicken stock. Take the back of a knife and smash the lemongrass stalks several times to bruise the stalks and release oils. Add the bruised lemongrass, kaffir leaves, and remaining 2/3 of the fish sauce to the pot. Place the potatoes and carrots in the pot and add the chicken. The items should mostly be submerged in the liquids.

Bring the liquids to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook the curry, partially covered, on a low simmered heat for 50-60 minutes. Once done, the chicken should be very tender and the sauce should have reduced by about ½. Taste and adjust seasonings with additional fish sauce and black pepper as needed.

Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and serve hot with toasted baguettes.