Vietnamese Yellow Curry
Chef Peggy Chan
“This is a special childhood dish to me because I grew up around Vietnamese neighbourhoods both in Hong Kong and Montreal and was often exposed to authentic Viet cuisine. Yellow Chicken Curry served with Baguette was one of those dishes that stuck. I first remembered learning how to cook this curry from my mother, and a failed attempt to separate the chicken wing tip from the wingette with a cleaver caused me to end up at the hospital with a few stitches and a bandaged thumb.
This plant-based version of the dish – in line with Chefs’ Manifesto area six,
should help avoid such accidents from happening!”
– Peggy Chan –
Ingredients
For the curry
250g tempeh or tofu
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large carrot, peeled and cubed
1 eggplant, cubed
200g broccoli, florets
½ onion, diced
200ml coconut water
100ml water
1½ tbsp coconut sugar
3 tbsp coconut oil
salt and pepper to taste
For the marinade
10cm ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 sticks of lemongrass, finely sliced
1 tbsp chili powder
1½ tbsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp tamarind juice
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp coconut sugar
Method
- Using mortar and pestle (or a high-speed blender), pound ginger, lemongrass chili, turmeric and salt together until a paste is formed. Add tamarind juice and coconut sugar to thin out.
- Marinate diced tempeh or tofu with the paste. Cover and leave to stand for 30 minutes or more.
- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a grill pan. Add the tofu or tempeh and grill for 4 minutes until golden brown. Alternatively, sear in sauté pan. Reserve marinade from step 2.
- Heat the remaining oil in deep saucepan. Add the marinade from step 2 and stir fry on low-medium heat for 4 minutes until brown and fragrant.
- Add in onions and eggplant. Stir fry on medium heat for 4 minutes.
- Add the potato, carrots and grilled tofu or tempeh. Let cook for another 5 minutes, stirring once in a while to ensure vegetables cook evenly.
- Deglaze with coconut milk, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan. Stir well, but gently.
- Add the water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat, cover with lid and let simmer for 30 minutes, until the carrots and potatoes are cooked through.
- Stir in 1½ tbsp coconut sugar, salt and pepper to taste.
- Add broccoli florets to curry. Cover saucepan with lid and steam for 3 minutes.
- Serve with steamed short-grain brown rice.
Try a great side to
accompany your main
