Vietnamese Chicken Curry

Adapted from Diana Henry’s A Bird In The Hand and Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid’s Hot Sour Salty Sweet

yield: 3-4 generous servings with rice

prep time: 30 minutes with cooked leftover chicken, about 60 minutes if starting with raw chicken

2-4 garlic cloves, peeled

2 dried red chiles (see note)

1 tablespoon coriander seed

1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced

1 scallion, trimmed and sliced into thin rings

2 tablespoons peanut oil

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 small Yukon Gold or other waxy potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small pieces

1/2 tablespoon turmeric

1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk

3/4 cup home-made or low salt chicken broth

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 1/2-2 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (leg and thigh are best here)

juice of 1 lime, plus more for serving

fresh basil leaves, for the top

Using a mortar and pestle or small food processor, grind the garlic, chiles, and coriander to a paste. Set aside.

Place a lidded stewpot or wok large enough to hold all the ingredients on the stove. Pour in the peanut oil and heat to medium-high. Stir fry the shallots and scallions for about a minute. Add chile paste and stir fry, taking care not to burn the paste.

Add the sweet potatoes, Yukon Golds, turmeric, coconut milk, chicken broth, and fish sauce. Stir to blend.

If your chicken is raw, add it now. Bring curry to a gentle simmer and cover the pot. Check frequently, stirring. It should take about an hour to cook.

If you are using cooked chicken, the potatoes will need about 25 minutes to cook through. Bring curry to gentle simmer, cover, and check frequently, stirring. Tear chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add during final 5 minutes of cooking to heat through.

Add lime and shredded basil at end of cooking. Serve over basmati rice.

Notes: add or subtract chiles depending on your heat tolerance; garlic can also be adjusted to your preference.