Recipe #17 Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken

IT'S DERBY DAY AND CINCO DE MAYO so why am I posting a recipe that has nothing to do with either one?  I was recently in Garden Grove, California on the way to a conference near Disneyland.  It turns out this area is called Little Saigon which has a very large Vietnamese population.  This is my long, drawn out way of saying that while there I went to a great Vietnamese grocery store and was inspired to try a Vietnamese recipe. 

I did not have curry powder so I substituted cumin and I used ground lemongrass instead of fresh.   I struggled with the sugar/caramel part of the recipe (OK, really screwed it up). I also substituted brown rice for white.  All in all, the recipe was delicious; I also made stir fried vegetables [Japanese eggplant, snow peas, hot red pepper and zucchini] as a compliment to the dinner.  Happy cooking!

Recipe: Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken
Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine, October 2007
“Simple, Tasty Vietnamese Cooking”

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast/thigh, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons cooking oil
2 fresh lemongrass stalks, tender inner white bulbs only, minced
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
3 chilies, seeded and minced
1 scallion for garnishing



Method:
In a bowl, combine the fish sauce, garlic, curry powder, salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the sugar. Add the chicken meat to coat.

In a small skillet, mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar with 1 tablespoon of the water and cook over high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Cook without stirring until a deep amber caramel forms. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of water. Transfer to a bowl.

[I REALLY COULDN'T GET THIS RIGHT!]









Heat a wok over high heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the lemongrass, shallot, and chilies and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the chicken and caramel and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened.

Transfer to a bowl and top with the scallion.
Serve with steamed white rice.