Ca ri ga is about a rich, thick sauce carrying the smell of lemongrass and curry leaves. The hard part is keeping the potato and carrot in whole pieces through a long simmer.
The potato and carrot are browned in the pan before they go into the pot, so the outsides set and hold together. The ground spices get only 30 seconds over low heat, since any longer scorches them and the aroma is gone.
This batch weighs about 3.6kg, at roughly 131 calories per 100g.
Method
Rinse the 1.2kg chicken with salt, chop into bite sized pieces, and drain.
Finely chop 40g shallot, 30g garlic and 6g ginger. Cut the onion into wedges. Bruise the 3 lemongrass stalks and cut into lengths.
Peel the 2 carrots and 2 potatoes, cut into pieces, and brown them in the pan so they hold together in the pot.
Marinate the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt, 1.5 tablespoons seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon MSG, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 1.5 tablespoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 tablespoon curry oil, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1.5 tablespoons minced shallot, 1 tablespoon minced garlic and 2 tablespoons mai que lo. Leave for 2 to 4 hours.
Set a pot with 2 tablespoons cooking oil, fry the lemongrass until fragrant, add the rest of the shallot and garlic, the ginger, 6 dried chilies, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1/3 teaspoon five spice powder and 3 to 4 curry leaves, and stir over low heat for 30 seconds.
Add the chicken, raise the heat, and stir for 5 minutes to seal it.
Pour in 400ml coconut water and 500ml thin coconut milk, add 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon seasoning powder, cover, lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes, then lift out the lemongrass.
Add 250ml coconut milk along with the potato and carrot, and cook for another 5 minutes.
Pour in 250ml unsweetened oat milk, add 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 1/2 tablespoon seasoning powder, and stir well.
Stir in the onion, turn off the stove, and serve with banh mi, rice vermicelli or rice.
Tips
Browning the potato and carrot before the simmer keeps the pieces from collapsing.
Do not fry ground spices over high heat for long, as they scorch and lose their aroma.
Lift the lemongrass out after 20 minutes of simmering, as it turns sharp if left in.
Add the coconut milk last and hold it at a bare simmer, since a rolling boil splits the curry.
Use a wide pot so the chicken and vegetables sit in one layer and cook evenly.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.