Cà Ri Gà – Vietnamese Chicken Curry Recipe

I will show you how to make cà ri gà / authentic vietnamese chicken curry. Vietnamese only uses yellow curry. I am not sure about other regions of Vietnam and how they make their curry, but this is how my mom makes it. The spice level can be adjusted depending on the brand of curry you pick out or you can add more spice by putting in chili peppers.

How is Vietnamese Curry Different?

This Vietnamese curry recipe is distinctly different from other curries by using coconut water and annatto seed oil. Lemongrass and coconut milk is similar to Thai. The coconut water gives this curry a mellow sweetness and also tenderizes the chicken.

I would recommend you use a stewing chicken such as free range rooster chicken. These chicken are more chewy which will be tenderized by the coconut water as the curry simmers. Of course you are free to use any chicken you want, you don’t even have to use coconut water, regular water is fine. Vietnam had extra coconut trees, so a lot of our cooking uses coconut water to add more flavor to our food. It is natural sweetness.

How Spicy is Vietnamese Curry

Vietnamese Curry is very mild compared to other curries such as Thai or Indian. The curry that my mom uses is sort of like an indian curry premix. There’s two spice level, one is mild and one is hot. I usually go for the hot one since I can eat it hot. But the mild one is good too. You can always add more spice by adding thai chili or dried chili peppers.

Generally, the curry I’ve had in Vietnam are not spicy at all. People add more spice by adding chili peppers on the side. Of course, this curry dish is not too popular at restaurants in Vietnam, the only place I’ve had it was at family’s “giỗ” which is the death anniversary dates of our ancestors. They were pretty mild in spice but super delicious!

What is Vietnamese Curry Eaten With

Ca Ri Ga or Vietnamese Chicken Curry, is typically eaten with… pretty much anything. Rice, bread, rice noodles, even instant noodles! It really depends on how thick your curry is and the people’s preference.

For me, I eat my curry with bread when it is first cooked. When it is freshly cooked, the curry broth is not as thick, so I eat it with bread to suck up all that curry broth. As you reheat the curry, the potatoes and carrots melts out into the broth, making it thicker. That’s when I eat it with rice or rice noodles. The curry sticks on to the noodles more when eaten at a thicker consistency.

Test your taste preference!