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Vegan Vietnamese Eggplant, Tofu and Chickpea Curry - Ca Ri Chay

Vegan Vietnamese Eggplant, Tofu and Chickpea Curry | Vegan Ca Ri

By: Cindy Lam Lorimer
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Servings: 6
Ca Ri Chay is a Vietnamese vegan curry, a fragrant blend of eggplant, chickpeas and tofu simmered in a coconut milk-based sauce infused with lemongrass and curry spices.

Ingredients

Baked eggplant:

  • 3 large eggplants, cut into 2 inch pieces
  • olive oil

Marinade:

  • 2 14 oz medium or firm tofu, cut into 1-2 inch pieces, deep fried
  • 2 cans garbanzo beans/chickpeas, drainedand rinsed
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 1 Tbsp mushroom powder
  • 2 Tbsp vegan fish sauce
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp Vietnamese curry powder, or any type of yellow curry powder, preferably Madras
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp annatto oil
  • 1 tsp shallots, chopped
  • 1 tsp garlic, chopped

Annatto oil (optional):

  • ½ cup avocado oil, or any neutral oil
  • 1 Tbsp annatto seeds

Ingredients:

  • 1 large shallot, chopped
  • 1 inch ginger, peeled, smashed
  • 2 Tbsp garlic, chopped
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 4 lime leaves, optional
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 Tbsp Vietnamese curry powder, or any yellow curry powder, like Madras
  • 2 cups carrots, peeled, cut into 2-3 inch length
  • 2 cups potatoes or sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-3 inch length
  • 1 tomato, quartered
  • 1 liter coconut water, plus 2 cups
  • 1 liter vegetable broth, plus 2 cups
  • 2 14 oz cans coconut cream
  • 1 Tbsp mushroom powder
  • 3 Tbsp kosher salt
  • 3 stalks lemongrass, cut into 5″ pieces, smashed
  • 1 onion, quartered lengthwise 

Garnish:

  • bean sprouts
  • cilantro
  • green onions, chopped
  • basil, rau ram, culantro and/or mint leaves
  • lime 

Optional:

  • steamed rice
  • vermicelli noodles 
  • French baguette bread 

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  • Cut eggplants into medium size pieces. Place on baking pan lined with parchment paper, and drizzle them with olive oil.
  • Bake eggplants for 20 minutes.
  • After 20 minutes, remove the baking pan, turn eggplants over and put back in the oven to bake for an additional 20 minutes.
  • Heat deep fryer to 380 degrees and fry tofu until they are nice and light brown.
  • Make annatto oil by first heating up ½ cup oil. Once oil is hot, remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon of annatto seeds. Don’t let the oil get too hot, or it will burn the annatto seeds. Strain and put annatto oil aside for cooking later.
  • Marinate baked eggplant, fried tofu and chickpeas with all the ingredients in the marinade. Put aside and prepare the rest of your ingredients.
  • Add ¼ cup annatto oil to a pot.
  • Fry chopped shallots and ginger for a few minutes until shallots are soft.
  • Then add garlic, bay leaves, lime leaves and tomato paste and cook for another minute.
  • Take two tablespoons of the curry powder and fry with onion mix to bring out the curry flavor.
  • Add the marinated baked eggplants, fried tofu and chickpeas, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and pour in coconut water, vegetable broth and coconut cream. Add mushroom powder, salt and lemongrass stalks.
  • Bring to a boil and then lower to low heat and let simmer for 45 minutes.
  • Add quartered onions and then turn off heat.
  • Throughout the cooking process, make sure to occasionally scoop the foam off the top.
  • Serve with either rice or with vermicelli noodles and eat it like a soup, or dip with French baguette bread.

Notes

NOTE: Using annatto oil is optional.  It's more for the color so if you do not use annatto oil, it will not change the flavor of this dish.  

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 645kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Sodium: 5483mg | Potassium: 1867mg | Fiber: 21g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 7803IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 343mg | Iron: 7mg

Equipment

  • 8 quart pot