Lily’s Powerful Vietnamese Curry – Ca Ri Ga

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

Larb and Goi Unite in Lily’s Goi Ga

As a kid, I never really liked goi ga, a fresh Vietnamese salad often containing cabbage, carrots, cilantro, shredded chicken, and roasted peanuts, all topped with fish sauce.

However, as I got older, I began to really appreciate the simplicity of the dish, especially when you’re constantly eating heavier, starch based foods (which my appetite tends to lead me toward). Recently, I’ve really come to love the Thai Larb, which is a meat salad with more lime flavor than the Vietnamese goi ga and with more mint.

Consequently, in this week’s recipe, I made my version of goi ga with larb influences. It’s a light dish that is surprisingly filling because of all of the fresh veggies. Perfect for a picnic, my version of goi ga is bright, colorful, and filled with plenty of different, yet complementing flavors.

Enjoy!

The Summery Taste Of Generoso’s Chicken Scallopini

With only a few more weeks of summer left, Generoso decided to end the week with the bright, delicious taste of the classic dish, chicken scallopini. Super easy and quick to make, this chicken (pork or veal is fine as well without altering the other ingredients in the recipe) with its light summery sauce should make any hot night come alive. You will need 24 oz of chicken breast, 1/4 cup of white wine, 3/4 cup of fresh lemon juice, 1/2 cup of chicken broth, 2 tablespoons of capers, olive oil, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and rotini pasta (or any non-thread pasta of your choosing). Please let us know how yours turns out and enjoy!

Music: Hungarian Rhapsody No.2, S.244:2 by Franz Liszt

Do You Want To Make Chicken Cacciatore? Generoso Will Show You How!

In the Fierro household we love chicken cacciatore, that very hearty Italian chicken dish that could also be made with a rabbit if you happen to have one handy. Cacciatore does mean “hunter’s style” so this is not a delicately made entree, its one that is normally made in the middle of the woods but that doesn’t mean its anything less than delicious. Wine, onions, mushrooms. olive oil, garlic and a bit of time are all you need to make this delicious entree. Generoso will show you how, step by step as always!