Bun Cari Ga

Bun cari ga is Vietnamese chicken curry with vermicelli noodles. Unlike other curries, Vietnamese curry is more like a stew and is usually eaten with vermicelli, baguette, or rice. If you're looking for some good bun cari ga, the best place that serves it is Pho Viet's in the Super 88 food court at Packard's Corner. However, their chicken usually turns out really dry, so I like to make my own.




Ingredients
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 pinch of ground black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 bay leaves
4-5 tsp curry powder (to taste)
4+ tsp chicken bullion powder (to taste)
2 cans light coconut milk
2 cans of water
4 medium-large yukon potatoes (peeled and cut into medium chunks)
2 carrots (chopped)
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 pound chicken breasts
1 pack vermicelli noodles


Directions

Make sure the chicken breasts are thinly sliced and then cut them into bite-sized chunks. You can use drumsticks as well, but I prefer chicken breasts because they're easier to prepare in a stew. Heat up a large pot with olive oil and minced garlic, then add the chicken sprinkled with 1 tbsp of chicken bullion, 1 tsp of salt, and ground pepper. When the chicken is about half-cooked, add mushrooms, carrots, and potatoes. Cook for about 1 more minute while adding another tsp of chicken bullion. (Note: If you're using drumsticks, it's very important to partly sear the chicken before adding the liquids. This is so the meat doesn't fall off the bone while stewing.)

Add 2 cans of light coconut milk followed by water (just fill up the same cans you just used). Then add sugar, salt, and bay leaves. Stir for a bit, and then add curry powder until the stew turns into a nice yellow color (usually about 4-5 tsp should do the trick). Then add the remaining chicken bullion, stir, and cover on medium heat for 40 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

While waiting for the curry, boil the vermicelli noodles in another pot for about 9 minutes and 30 seconds. Rinse and leave in a strainer.

When the stew is ready, give it a taste (it will probably turn out a little bland) and keep adding more chicken bullion until you're satisfied. Then ladle the hot stew into a large bowl of vermicelli and enjoy! (I also like to add some white pepper and Sriracha.)

This recipe makes about 5-6 servings.