Vietnamese curry (cari)

Stephen Ceideburg
      1    Stalk fresh lemon grass or
      1 tb Dried
  3 1/2 ts curry powder
           Fresh ground black pepper
      1 ts Sugar
      4 ts Salt
      3 lb chicken, cut up
      7 tb Vegetable oil
      3    Sweet potatoes or
      3    White potatoes, peeled and
           -cubed
      4    Cloves garlic, chopped
      3    Bay leaves
      1 lg Onion, cut into wedges,
           -separated
      2 c  Water
      1    Carrot, 2-inch slices
      2 c  coconut milk
      1 c  Milk or water *
 
  * If you use canned coconut milk, you must use water.
  
  This is a real Vietnamese curry. Although adapted from the Indian, which is
  always made with white potatoes, the Vietnamese version has the option of
  using white or sweet potatoes, the latter being greatly favored by the
  Vietnamese. The Indian in- fluence is greatest in the South, where curried
  dishes are more popular than elsewhere in Vietnam.
  
  This is usually served with noodles as a party dish. When it is part of a
  family meal, it is eaten with rice. Bach serves this to her children for
  breakfast, when it is served with French bread--another influence on the
  cuisine of Vietnam.
  
  If you are using fresh lemon grass, simply remove the outer leaves and
  upper two-thirds of the stalks, then cut the remainder into 2-inch lengths.
  If you are, using, it must be soaked in warm water for 2 hours, then
  drained and chopped fine.
  
  Combine the curry powder, black pepper, sugar, add salt and marinate the
  chicken in the mixture for at least 1 hour. Heat the oil and fry the
  potatoes over high heat until brown. (It is not necessary to completely
  cook potatoes at this point, only to brown them.) When well browned, remove
  from the pan and set aside until ready to cook the curry. Pour off most of
  the oil from the pan, leaving 2 tablespoons for cooking the chicken.
  
  Heat 2 tablespoons oil over a high flame. Fry the garlic for a few seconds,
  then add the bay leaves, onion, and lemon grass; stir briefly and add the
  marinated chicken, stirring long enough to sear the meat slightly. Add the
  2 cups of water and carrot, then cover and bring to a boil. Turn the heat
  down and simmer for 5 minutes; uncover and stir, then cook, covered, for
  another 10 minutes. Remove the cover and add the prefried potatoes, the
  coconut milk, and the milk. Cover again and simmer another 15 minutes.
  Serve with rice, Rice Sticks, or Japanese Alimentary Paste Noodles.
  
  From "The Classic Cuisine of Vietnam", Bach Ngo and Gloria Zimmerman,
  Barron's, 1979.