Winters in Los Angeles are certainly much milder than they were in Boston, but there’s a coolness to the air here that always has Lily craving for soup-type items, particularly curry. After eating plenty of Thai and Indian curries out, Lily realized that she has not made Vietnamese curry for Generoso, so Ca Ri Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Curry) would be this week’s recipe.

Lily makes her curry a bit thinner in terms of viscosity and spicier with red chili pepper flakes, Sambal, cayenne, and black pepper in addition to the curry powder. We used S&B curry powder for this recipe, but you are welcome to use Massaman curry powder or garam masala if you can find it and prefer to do so. Generally, Lily prefers a curry powder with fenugreek, star anise, and tumeric for a bright yellow curry but feel free to pick a spice blend that makes sense for you.

Feel free to choose your protein as well! Meat generally adds more flavor to the curry liquid, but tofu and vegetable broth can definitely be used for a vegetarian version.

As a final preference note, Generoso and Lily like savory curries, so this recipe of Ca Ri Ga does not have any sugar in it. If you prefer a sweeter curry, you can add a little bit of white sugar, brown sugar, or even molasses.

This curry was served with brown rice, but it is delicious with egg noodles, thick rice noodles, a crusty baguette, or simply by itself as a hearty soup. Enjoy!

Music provided by Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54