Vietnamese Chicken and Squash Curry

Fresh lemongrass, fish sauce, delicata squash, and cilantro make this a flavor-packed Vietnamese curry good for any night of the week.

I don't know about you, but this year I'm celebrating even the smallest of victories. And successfully growing lemongrass in my garden this summer is one of them.

I hadn't had luck with lemongrass in the past. But since we were all looking for things to do this past spring, I bought a packet of seeds and figured why not give it another try. This time, it worked.

Lemongrass is typically a tropical perennial plant, so it's not well-equipped to survive our harsh Vermont winters. That's why I'll try potting a few stalks from outside and attempt to keep it alive until I can plant it back out in the spring. I'm not the best with houseplants, but I've read that lemongrass does well when treated like one.

If you find lemongrass stalks in the grocery store or have a friend willing to share their plant, it’s easy to propagate. Stick the stalks in water until they root, then plant in a pot of soil. Side shoots will grow if kept near a sunny window.

how to cook with lemongrass

I'm only just getting around to experimenting with my lemongrass this fall. Although the tall grassy plant appears dried out, the outer layers peel away to reveal a tender green stalk inside. The bright lemon scent it gives off as you cut and bruise the plant is especially welcome as winter looms, and most of the garden is dying out. For cooking, you only use the bottom few inches of the plant. The leaves and upper portions are for composting.

Lemongrass is good for flavoring soups, so I guess my timing isn’t too bad. The easiest way to impart flavor to a soup is to bruise the plant with the back of your knife as you would crush a clove of garlic. Or use a heavy object, like a can or bottle. Add the pieces to the soup as it cooks, then remove before serving. For other uses, such as stir-fries, you can thinly slice lemongrass and add it in at the start of cooking.

getting to know Vietnamese cuisine

Lemongrass is a prominent herb in Vietnamese cooking, where their cooking philosophy focuses on balance. There’s an attention to the balance of flavors, colors, and textures in their cuisine, and it just makes sense. There’s also a focus on fresh ingredients, especially vegetables, and herbs. I’m finding the little I have explored with Vietnamese cooking to be particularly appealing to how I like to cook.

Vietnamese curry (ca ri ga)

In terms of this chicken curry recipe called ca ri ga in Vietnamese, you can see the balance in flavor. The curry powder and paste offer some spiciness; the fish sauce lends sourness; the sugar provides sweetness; the lemongrass adds bitterness, and the broth has saltiness. These are the five basic tastes present in most Vietnamese dishes.

If you don’t have fresh lemongrass, look for lemongrass paste that comes in tubes in grocery stores. This is the next best option. But if neither of those is available to you, you can use dried. However, the flavor could be less noticeable in a soup like this.

Any winter squash may be substituted for the delicata. I like delicata because it’s a smaller squash that’s easy to cut and has edible skin. They’re less fussy. I love to serve this over thin rice noodles, though other noodles or cooked rice are fine, too.

I adapted this recipe from the Pike Place Market Recipes cookbook by Jess Thomson.

Vietnamese Chicken and Squash Curry

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• Author: Steve
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

Fresh lemongrass, fish sauce, delicata squash, and cilantro make this a flavor-packed Vietnamese curry good for any night of the week.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 ½ pounds boneless chicken thighs
• 1 ½ tablespoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon grated or chopped fresh ginger
• 2 stalks of fresh lemongrass
• 1 pound delicata squash
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon curry paste
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 can (14 ounces) coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 package (8 ounces) instant rice noodles
• Cilantro, for serving

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Instructions

Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces, about an inch or so. In a bowl, toss the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the curry powder and the salt.

Wash you cutting board and knife, then roughly chop the onion and the garlic. Peel, then grate or finely chop, the ginger. Remove the tough outer layers of the lemongrass stalks then cut them into two-inch pieces. Use the back of your knife to bruise the stalks, which will help release their flavor while cooking. Halve the squash, remove the seeds, then slice in half again. Cut the squash quarters into bite-sized pieces. There’s no need to peel. Chop the cilantro leaves.

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. When hot, add the onions, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, curry paste, and remaining ½ tablespoon of curry powder. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often, until fragrant and softened. Add the chicken pieces. Cook for 5 minutes, toss them around the pot, and cook 5 minutes more or until they start to brown on multiple sides.

Pour in the broth and coconut milk. Stir in the sugar and fish sauce. Add the squash and stir to combine. Bring to the soup to a boil, then lower the heat to a steady simmer. Cook 15-20 minutes or until the squash is tender.

Meanwhile, put the rice noodles in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water and cook according to the package directions, which should be just a few short minutes. Drain.

When the squash is tender, taste the soup. Add more salt, sugar, or fish sauce, if needed. When it’s to your liking, divide the noodles among your serving bowls, cover with the hot soup and sprinkle over the cilantro.

• Prep Time: 30
• Cook Time: 30
• Cuisine: Vietnamese

Keywords: curry, lemongrass, chicken, winter squash, coconut milk