Thursday, October 30, 2008

Ga Ragu - Chicken Ragu

I really love the concept of ca ri (curry) or beef stew (bo kho). Slowed cook meat with tender vegetables and rich savory broth to dip crusty warm baguette in, what's not to love of about that?  Growing up I went through a lot of difficult eating phases.  I didn't like eating curry that much and bo kho took too much time for my mom to make, so she would make a chicken stew that was much quicker.  It's called ragu or lagu ga, made with chicken legs, potato, and carrot.  Chicken legs is the perfect part of the chicken for this dish because I love gnawing on the cartilage ends.  Whenever you taste this dish it feels like you spent hours making it but it's actually such a quick stew to make.  Give this a try, it goes great with baguettes or rice!

Ingredients:
8-10 drumsticks (cut in half)
salt
black pepper
1/4 cup fish sauce
black pepper
1/2 tablespoon mushroom seasoning
1 cans of coco rico 
1.5 tbl of tomato paste
3 Idaho potatoes (cut into cubes)
6 medium carrots (cut into 1 in. section)
2 shallots (thinly sliced)
1 sweet onion (chopped)
1 bay leaf (optional)
water
cooking oil
garnish with green onions, cilantro, and lime

1. Marinade the chicken with 1/4 cup of fish sauce, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper, and  sliced shallots,  I usually do this the night before.
2. Marinade the potatoes and carrots with a dash of  salt and black pepper.
3. Heat up cooking oil to a pan and sear the potatoes and carrots, don't completely cook the vegetables. 4. Set the potatoes and carrots aside for later.
5. Repeat step #3 with the chicken, again you don't have to completely cook the chicken.
6. Transfer chicken to a large pot and add 2 tbl of tomato paste and evenly coat the chicken. Add 1  can of coco rico , 5 cups of water, 2 tsp of salt,  1 tablespoon mushroom seasoning, and 1 bay leaf.
7. Let the chicken simmer in the liquid for 20 minutes, skim scum if needed. Add the  carrots first then potatoes after.  Add more fish sauce if needed.  Let everything simmer for about 15 minutes and then add the onions at the very end. Serve over rice or with baguettes, enjoy!

23 comments:

Emily said...

Great recipe. I'm going to try it tonight.

Thuy said...

great! please let me know how it went :p

jujupif said...

thx for the recipes. i woke up this morning craving for chicken ragu that my ex use to make it. I'm glad to found it. i'm making it this weekend for my bf

Anonymous said...

Hi Thuy, ragu should not have coconut milk. Coconut milk goes with curry. I have nt checked where ragu originally came from, but I guess Vmese ragu is actually a version of French ragout since some part of Vmese cooking has been influenced by French culinary. Anne

Thuy said...

Anne,

I definitely do not use coconut milk in Ragu. I actually use young coconut juice that we often drink. It doesn't really flavor the ragu but as the chicken simmers in it the coconut juice tenderizes and sweeten the meat. Sorry for the confusion. And thank you for the information on ragu :)

Sandy said...

wow this recipe is so much better with the coconut soda! i usually make this with chicken stock.. but im going to change it up and make it with soda from now on.. thanks!

Thuy said...

Thanks Sandy!

Coconut soda does wonder to slow cooking recipes...I always make sure i'm fully stock with them :)

Anonymous said...

i thought that 2 cans of coco rico made it too sweet for my taste. next time i'll try 1 can of coco rico and 1 can of chicken broth.

Thuy said...

I've never use chicken broth with this recipe either, will have to give it a try.

Anonymous said...

Just finished making it...it's SO easy! Thank you for bringing the warmth into my home :) This recipe is a keeper!

Anonymous said...

I love this dish but never try making it. I am going to try your recipe this weekend. It will be a challenge to find coconut juice / soda in south of France. Any recommendation for substitute? Bonnie

Thuy said...

You can try gingerale soda because the taste is subtle and the carbonation would help tenderize the chicken. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

DO NOT FORGET the bread (baguette).!! totally forgot abt it cause it wasn't listed.... going back now. =T

Thuy said...

LOL sorry about that! If you forget bread to buy bread again, this recipe is also great with steamed rice.

Unknown said...

Great recipe. Do you have recipe for pollo alla cacciatora? I like it when I was in Bologna, Italy

Anonymous said...

Recipe calls for sugar - but no where in directions says to add sugar.

Unknown said...


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Unknown said...

Can I substitute mushroom powder for something else? Like MSG?

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John T Ly said...

Bookmarked your recipe. Will have to try it soon, esp on a cold rainy day.

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