Vietnamese Curry & Basil Rice

I think I have a soft corner for South-East Asian (especially Chinese) and Italian food. My first experience with Vietnamese food was when my Vietnamese classmates made vegetarian Nems (Rice-paper Spring Rolls) amongst a few other things.Then, fried Nems at one of the house parties hosted by mom. And then, recently when my cousin who also likes cooking was talking about Vietnamese curry.. which really caught me and I started searching for it.

Obviously, most of the recipes I found were with meat or seafood. And tofu. I am not a great fan of tofu except for silken tofu in Japanese Miso Soup!

After several days of browsing, I finally made my version of this curry earlier this week.

Vietnamese Cuisine in many ways is similar to Thai. Though I feel Thai Cuisine is robust in terms of flavours and foods, whereas Vietnamese Cuisine is an emulation & adaptation of its neighbouring regions. Like Thailand, they use a lot of sea-food too. They are known for the dog meat delicacy that is served in festivals! And, of course their coffee. Decent I'd say!

Honestly, this curry is quite similar to the Yellow Thai Curry because it uses coconut milk as one of the main flavours. But, the vegetables and preparation I'd say is a lot less fussier than Thai Curry unless you stock curry paste. Besides this is a very good option for low fat meal because it is entirely optional to use oil!

Yes.. It tastes the same without oil!!

I served it with simple basil rice. Basil was subtle yet fragrant. I had it handy so I used it. It can be served plain.

You can use whatever vegetables suit your palate..! After all, what's the point in cooking up something if it doesn't have foods you like to eat!

So here it is:

Serves: 2 - 3. Preparation Time: 10 mins. Cooking Time: 15 - 20 mins.

Ingredients

For Vietnamese Curry:
½ cup red onion, diced (1 medium sized)
¼ cup tomato, diced (1 small)
½ cup carrots, sliced (1 small)
1 cup button mushrooms, quartered (6-7 mushrooms)
1 cup potatoes, diced (2 medium sized)
1 cup coloured belled peppers, diced (red, green, yellow)
1 heaping tbsp chopped ginger
1 heaping tbsp chopped garlic
1 cup coconut milk
2 - 3 cups water
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp curry powder
1 bay leaf
1 tsp turmeric/haldi powder
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tsp sugar (optional)
½ cup lemon grass extract*
1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
salt as per taste

For Basil Rice:
1 cup rice (I used regular basmati, it goes well with other starchy rice, brown rice, thai rice)
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
3-4 basil leaves

Method:

For Curry:

1. Heat oil in a deep pot. Add bay leaf, onions, ginger & garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds.

2. Add mushrooms, capsicums and sauté for a minute.

3. Then add, tomatoes, potatoes & carrots. Add salt, 2 cups water, ¾ of coconut milk and lemon grass extract. (I also used lemon grass paste as a bouquet garni)

If not using oil, just add everything under steps 1, 2, & 3 and simmer.

4. Add curry powder, sugar, turmeric, red chilli powder.

5. Let this all simmer on low flame until all the vegetables are cooked. It will take about 10-15 mins.

6. Check for taste. The curry will be slightly watery so mix the cornflour in balance ¼ cup coconut milk, and add to the curry. It will thicken.

7. Put it off heat. Serve.  Yes its that simple!

Garnish with spring onion greens, mint or whatever is handy..!

* Take 3-5 stalks of lemon grass and ½ cup water and blend them into as smooth a purée as possible.

Strain it using a fine sieve. All that remains in the sieve, tie it into a bouquet-garni and drop in the curry till cooked. Squeeze and remove it once the curry is ready.

For Basil Rice:

1. Thoroughly wash the rice.

2.  Boil 2 cups water with salt.

3. Now add basil and the rice and let it cook for 10-15 minutes.

Notes & Tips:

1. If you do not have store bought curry powder handy, just mix in 1 tbsp of coriander-cumin seed/dhania-jeera powder with 2 tbsp sambhar masala. I did the same.

2. You can add broccoli and tofu. They lend a different flavour to the mix. Whatever vegetables you choose, do not omit tomatoes & potatoes.

3. For Jains:

• If using oil, sauté bay leaf & ginger.
• Add vegetables (bottle gourd, tomatoes, carrots (if using), peas, beans, bellpeppers, babaycorn, cabbage, etc), water, cocnut milk, lemongrass extract and spices.
• Follow step 4 onwards.