1-Hour Vietnamese Curry

The weather is getting colder, which means it's the perfect weather for curry! The key ingredient to making this taste distinctly Vietnamese is the lemongrass.

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Vegan Vietnamese Curry (Ca Ri Chay)

Ingredients

• 300 g oyster mushrooms, sliced into 1 inch chunks

• 230 g fried tofu

• 4-5 carrots, peeled

• 3-5 russet potatoes, peeled

• Optional: 1 sweet potato, peeled

• 3 tbsp oil for cooking

• 1/2 large onion, sliced

• 6 cloves garlic (1/2 bulb), roughly minced

• 2 stalks lemongrass

• 2-3 bay leaves

• 2 tbsp curry powder

• 900 g vegetable broth

• 750 ml water

• 3 tbsp sugar (plus extra to taste)

• 2 tbsp salt (plus extra to taste)

• coconut milk

Toppings & Finishes

• ground black pepper

• French bread

• sambal oelek

• lime

Instructions

1. Chop potatoes and carrots into 2-3 inch chunks. Chop sweet potatoes into 1 inch chunks (we want these to break down).

2. Cut lemongrass into 3-inch pieces. Set aside.

3. In a large stock pot, pour oil and turn the heat onto medium high. Once oil is hot, add in onions. Cook until onions become tender (2-3 minutes).

4. Add garlic to pot. Cook until fragrant (1-2 minutes).

5. Add curry powder and lemongrass. Cook for 2 minutes.

6. Add carrots, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Cook for 3-5 minutes.

7. Pour in vegetable broth. Turn heat on high and bring broth to boil.

8. Add water, sugar, and salt to the pot and bring to boil again. Then add in the tofu and mushrooms.

9. Lower heat and let it simmer (lightly bubble) for 45 minutes to 1 hour (the longer the better). Potatoes and carrots should be tender.

10. Pour coconut milk into the pot and stir until well combined. Add salt and sugar to taste.

11. Serve with French bread. Add sambal oelek for extra spice. Squeeze in some lime for extra zest. Top with ground pepper.