Chicken curry with squash (cà ri gà bí)
This is a mild, slurpy curry, meant to be dipped into and mopped up with crispy Vietnamese baguettes or steamed rice. You can add different vegetables towards the end of cooking, depending on what’s in season. Even frozen peas, cooked for a couple of minutes at the end, are a delight. You can also use chicken breast. As with most Vietnamese food, make it as hot as you like and feel free to add fresh chilli or dried chilli flakes to the curry.
45 MINUTES | SERVES 3 4 | EASY
ginger 40g, roughly chopped
lemongrass 2 sticks, finely chopped
garlic 4 cloves
vegetable oil 2 tbsp
shallots 2 long, roughly diced
skin-on chicken thigh fillets 500-600g, cut into bite-sized pieces Vietnamese or mild curry powder 3 tsp
coconut milk 400ml
chicken stock cube 1
potatoes 400g, cut into 2cm cubes
Delicata squash 600g, cut into 4cm chunks mangetout 50g, sliced, or garden peas (optional)
fish sauce 1½ tbsp caster sugar or maple syrup 1 tsp baguette 1 (optional)
GARNISH thai basil or coriander leaves 15g
spring onions 2, thinly sliced
red chillies 2 (optional)
lime ½
1 Blend together the ginger, lemongrass and garlic with a splash of water, using a small food processor or pestle and mortar, until a smooth paste forms.
2 Heat the oil in a large pan or shallow casserole over a mediumhigh heat and cook the shallots for 5 minutes until golden. Add the chicken and cook for a couple minutes on each side until browned. Add the garlic mixture and stir to combine.
3 Sprinkle over the curry powder, stirring well to coat the chicken. Pour in the coconut milk and 100ml of water, along with the stock cube, bring to a gentle boil, then add the potatoes and squash. Stir to combine.
4 Turn down the heat to low, cover and continue to simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. Add the mangetout or peas. Season the curry with the fish sauce, sugar and a good pinch of black pepper, and cook for a further 8-10 minutes.
5 Scatter over the thai basil, spring onions and red chillies, if using. Squeeze over some lime juice, then serve with a fresh, crusty baguette on the side, if you like.
PER SERVING 4 604 kcals | fat 38.6G saturates 19.2G | carbs 34.3G | sugars 10.9G fibre 6.6G | protein 26.4G | salt 2.4G