Coconut Vietnamese Curry
We make this Coconut Vietnamese Curry on repeat, honestly. There's something about that fragrant homemade paste, with ginger, chilli and garlic all blitzed together, that makes the whole kitchen smell unreal. It comes together in about 30 minutes but tastes like you've been cooking all afternoon. The coconut milk gives it this gorgeous creamy richness, and the potato makes it properly hearty and satisfying. If you need a weeknight dinner that genuinely delivers, this is the one.
Before You Start
- Food processor
- Large frying pan
- Medium saucepan
- Cooking thermometer
- Paper towels
Ingredients
- 2 large shallots
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 20g fresh ginger
- 1 red chilli
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- ½ tbsp mild curry powder
- 2 tbsp lemongrass paste
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 large potatoes
- 2 large carrots
- 100g mangetout
- handful of kale
- 1 400g tin of coconut milk
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp plant-based fish sauce
- 1 lime
- 1 packet of rice vermicelli noodles
- vegetable oil
- 4 portions of rice
Method
For the paste
- Peel and roughly chop the shallots, garlic, chilli and ginger. Add them to the bowl of a food processor with the rest of the paste ingredients. Blitz until smooth. You may need to add a splash of water to help it combine
For the curry
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once warm, add the paste and fry for about 5 minutes to release the delicious flavours
- Meanwhile, peel and roughly chop the potato and carrots
- Add the chopped veg to the pan, along with the coconut milk. Fill up the tin halfway with water and add to the pot. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and gently cook for 15-20 until the vegetables are tender. Add the mangetout and kale for the final 2 minutes of the cooking time
For the crispy rice noodles
- Fill a medium saucepan halfway with vegetable oil. Heat over medium to high heat to 170*. You can test the temperature with a thermometer or drop a rice noodle into the oil, if it puffs up in seconds, the oil is ready. Gently drop a handful of the noodles into the hot oil for a few moments. When the noodles have puffed up, transfer them to a paper towel to drain. Set to one side
Finish and serve
- Add the soy sauce, fish sauce and the juice from a lime to the curry. Taste and add more if you would like
- Divide the curry between 4 bowls. Serve with steaming bowls of rice and the crispy rice noodles for topping
Tips & Variations
- Make the paste ahead: We often blitz the paste the night before and keep it in the fridge. It actually tastes even better the next day once the flavours have had time to settle.
- Adjust the heat: If you want it milder, deseed the chilli before blending. If you like it fiery, leave the seeds in or add an extra one. We won't judge either way.
- Serve it right: This is brilliant over jasmine rice, but we also love it with flatbreads for scooping. A handful of fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime on top makes a real difference.
Why This Works
The trick here is frying the paste for a full 5 minutes before anything else goes in. It might feel like a small thing but it really unlocks all those aromatics and gives the curry a depth you just don't get if you rush it. Trust us on this one, don't skip that step.