Save yourself some money and calories by making your own flavour packed curry at home. This creamy and mild Vietnamese Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry, also called Cari Ga, is comfort food at its best and so easy to make, you will never buy ready made curry sauce again. Tender chunks of chicken and soft bites of sweet potato smothered in a cream and flavour packed curry sauce.
You can't beat a classic chicken curry, and this one is bulked out with sweet potato and covered in the most incredible Vietnamese style curry sauce. With a well stocked spice rack, you can make this easy Vietnamese spice blend that will take a creamy chicken curry to the next level.
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Why you will love it
- An exciting new curry to try
- Creamy and comforting
- Protein packed
- Only 340 calories per portion
- Really easy to adapt with different ingredients.
Ingredients needed
- Chicken breast - We used breast to keep the curry leaner, but you can use chicken thighs too.
- Sweet potato and carrots - Adds some nice chunkiness to the curry. You could also use mushrooms, aubergine (eggplant) or courgette (zucchini).
- Ca ri spice blend - An authentic Vietnamese spice blend (see below for the recipe). You could use curry powder, garam masala or your own favourite spice blend.
- Coconut milk - To make the lovely creamy sauce. We used full fat as it gives the best flavour.
- Fish sauce - Adds a nice umami flavour to the curry.
- Shallots, garlic and lemongrass - The base of the curry sauce.
- Kafir lime leaves - Can be omitted, but adds a little zestiness to the curry.
- Stock - Vegetable or chicken stock will both work. Try to use the best quality you can, as you really will be able to taste the difference.
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make Cari Ga - Step by step
One: Heat a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Add all the spice mix ingredients and roast for 2 minutes until they have darkened, shaking the pan constantly to prevent burning. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Two: Put the chicken in a bowl with half of the spice mix and the salt. Toss well to coat. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Three: Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and brown the sweet potatoes for about 5 minutes so they are just browned, not cooked through. Remove the potatoes and set aside.
Four: Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Take the chicken out and put with the sweet potatoes.
Five: Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and stir fry for 5 minutes.
Six: Add the rest of the spice mix, coconut milk, lemongrass paste, kaffir lime leaves, carrots, fish sauce, chicken and sweet potatoes to the pan.
Seven: Stir well and simmer for 20 minutes.
What vegetables to add
The great thing about this a curry curry is that you can pretty much use any vegetables you want. It's a great fridge raid meal to reduce waste, as you can use vegetables that are starting to look a bit sorry for themselves.
We like chunky veg like bell peppers, courgette, aubergine and cauliflower. But you could also add carrot, mushrooms, broccoli or parsnip.
We always like to add some greens to a dish if we can, so we why not try stirring in some spinach a few minutes before it is ready. You could use kale instead though or even some peas.
What to serve this with
If you are looking for a light meal, then just a big bowl of this chicken and sweet potato curry will hit the spot. However, if you want something more filling, then why not serve it with our Raita or our Turmeric Rice? Fluffy coconut rice also goes really well with this, as does our Homemade Flatbread.
FAQs
If you have any leftovers, then it can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can even freeze this curry for up to 2 months. To reheat, make sure it is fully defrosted in the fridge and then add it to a pan and heat through until piping hot.
Yes, this can be cooked in the slow cooker. Follow the recipe up until step 7 and then put it all in the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours.
If you don't want to use chicken in this recipe, then you could swap it for king prawns, or just stick to chunky vegetables for a plant based option. Chickpeas also go really well with the sweet potato.
More curry recipes
If you’ve tried this Vietnamese chicken curry, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry (Cari Ga)
Ingredients
For the Vietnamese spice mix:
- 4 curry leaves - chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried chillies - chopped
- 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 0.5 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 0.5 teaspoon mustard seeds -
- 0.5 teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
- 0.5 teaspoon Cloves
- 0.5 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 0.5 teaspoon Ground turmeric
- 0.5 teaspoon Ground ginger
- 0.5 teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- 0.5 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
For the curry:
- 500 g Chicken breast - cut into 2.5cm cubes
- 0.5 teaspoon Sea salt
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 Sweet potato - peeled and cut into cubes
- 2 Carrots - peeled and cut into pieces
- 3 Shallots - cut into wedges
- 2 Garlic clove - crushed
- 300 ml Light coconut milk
- 100 ml Vegetable stock
- 2 teaspoon lemongrass paste
- 2 kaffir lime leaves
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
Instructions
- Heat a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Add all the spice mix ingredients and roast for 2 minutes until they have darkened, shaking the pan constantly to prevent burning. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- Transfer the spices to a spice mill or pestle and mortar and grind into a fine powder.
- Put the chicken in a bowl with half of the spice mix and the salt. Toss well to coat. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and brown the sweet potatoes for about 5 minutes so they are just browned, not cooked through. Remove the potatoes and set aside.
- Add the chicken to the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Take the chicken out and put with the sweet potatoes.
- Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and stir fry for 5 minutes.
- Add the rest of the spice mix, coconut milk, lemongrass paste, kaffir lime leaves, carrots, fish sauce, chicken and sweet potatoes to the pan.
- Stir well and simmer for 20 minutes.
Notes
- Add a teaspoon of palm sugar at the end for a truly authentic taste.
- For this curry to have the best flavour, make sure you are using really good quality spices that haven't expired.
- Why not try making a plant based version of this and swapping the chicken for chickpeas.
- To make this curry spicier, add some extra dried chillies. You might want to wait until it is cooked to taste it and then sprinkle them on top to reach your desired heat level.
Anonymous
I love this recipe so much. It’s my go-to curry these days!
Dannii
So glad you enjoyed it :)
Pat C.Wilson
yummy....last year I traveled to 3 country Thailand, China and Vietnam. and I was impressed of Vietnamese foods. your recipe makes me miss that beautiful country so much. must try it out tomorrow, can't wait!
Tandy | Lavender and Lime
I have never seen a cinnamon grater before. I have a serious case of 'wants' right now! Dannii, thanks for commenting on my blog while I was away.
Emily Rose
I love sweet potato it works in practically every meal!
Stephanie
Your recipes are always so yummy, I keep pinning them for future reference
Charlotte
This sounds and look delicious! I love potato in curry so I know I would love sweet potato! x
Jodie
Gosh. This sounds absolutely delicious!! What great photos too.
Annie B
This looks delicious! Like I need to try this style good! I love a colourful/flavoursome dish!
Valerie
This dish looks so flavorful and yummy. So going to try it.
Hannah
This sounds incredible - I have to make this and try it out!
Dr.Amrita Basu
I love this curry.It looks awesome and feels like the perfect comfort food
Melissa major
The curry looks so tasty! I really start making my own spice mixes they sound very nice
Jasmine Watts
Yummm.. that looks amazing. Sweet potatoes are my favorite! Love it!