Live with Chef Vui: Vietnamese Vegetable Curry
CURRY PASTE
2 TBSP coconut oil
6 garlic cloves
1 medium yellow onion
6 lemongrass stalks, smashed and thinly sliced, discarding tough and dry parts
1.5” ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
2 small Thai chili or 2 tsp Thai chili, chopped
2 TBSP turmeric powder
2 TBSP curry powder
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
2 cups Cremini mushrooms, quartered
2 cups carrot, peeled and sliced into 1 inch cubes
2 cups purple Hawaiian sweet potato (or any sweet potato), peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cups peeled Japanese sweet potato (or any sweet potato), peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cups zucchini, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cups cauliflower florets
2 cups red bell pepper, de-seeded and diced into 1 inch cubes
3 cups spinach
2 cups coconut cream
2 quarts Vui’s Kitchen bone broth (or a chicken broth of your choosing)
2-3 dashes of fish sauce, soy sauce, or tamari to taste
GARNISH
1 lime cut into wedges
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
6-8 leaves fresh Thai basil
1 French baguette, sliced into long diagonal pieces
METHOD
In a blender, combine garlic, yellow onion, lemongrass, ginger, Thai chili, turmeric powder, curry powder, black pepper, and cayenne powder. Blend until smooth.
Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add curry paste, stirring often for 8-10 minutes until fragrant. Add bone broth, and bring to a simmer.
Bring heat to medium high. Add sweet potatoes and carrots, and cook for 10 minutes. Bring heat back down to medium, and add remaining vegetables. Let simmer until all vegetables are tender.
Stir in coconut cream and spinach leaves. Season with fish sauce (or soy sauce) to taste.
Serve with rice or crusty bread, along with other garnishes.
Curry will keep for up to three days in the refrigerator.
OPTIONAL ADJUSTMENTS
Add 1.5 pounds of chicken breast, chicken thigh, or tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes, and add them to the curry sauce at the same time as the vegetables, if desired.
Add peeled and de-veined shrimp near the end of the cooking process, along with coconut cream, if desired.
For vegetarians, use vegetable broth instead of bone broth and soy sauce instead of fish sauce.
As a reminder, this is a Vietnamese curry and will be thinner in consistency than thicker Thai or Indian versions.