Recipe · By Marc Dessein · 15 October 2026

Kari sach moan, Cambodian red chicken curry

Name: Kari sach moan, Cambodian red chicken curry
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Cambodian
Ingredients: 2 lemongrass stalks, finely chopped; 3 tsp fresh turmeric (otherwise, 1 tsp ground turmeric); 3 shallots; 6 garlic cloves; 5 cm galangal, diced (otherwise, fresh ginger); 4 kaffir lime leaves, chopped, and the zest of 2 kaffir limes (otherwise, the zest of 2 limes); ¼ tsp salt; 3 dried red chillies, rehydrated, seeded and drained; 1 fresh red chilli, or more to taste; 2 large chicken cutlets, in large pieces; 5 tbsp coconut oil; 2 tbsp red paste; 1 tsp prahok (fermented fish paste), optional (otherwise, ½ tsp anchovy paste); 3 tbsp fish sauce; 2 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp salt; 250 ml coconut cream; 750 ml boiling water; 2 red onions, sliced; 5 yardlong beans, cut into 5 cm pieces (otherwise, a handful of green beans); 1 aubergine, cut lengthwise into 5 cm pieces; 1 sweet potato; 1 large potato

Cambodian red chicken curry served in a bowl — Photo Yolanda Rios, cropped, licence CC BY-SA 2.0

Prep45 min
Cook35 min
Serves4 people
ServeWith rice

Kari sach moan is a Cambodian red chicken curry. It cooks in coconut cream with vegetables that hold up to simmering, aubergine, sweet potato and potato.

Everything starts with the paste, the kroeung. Lemongrass, fresh turmeric, galangal, garlic, shallots and kaffir lime, pounded in a mortar until smooth. I recommend making enough for several batches. The recipe only needs two spoonfuls.

For every ingredient that is hard to find, I give a substitute in parentheses. You do not need an Asian grocery to pull this off.

The red paste

Pound everything in a mortar until you get a smooth paste. Without a mortar, blend in a food processor, with a spoon of water if the paste will not come together.

Method

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large casserole. Fry the paste for 1 minute, stirring without stopping.
Add the chicken and fry it for 2 minutes in the paste, stirring to coat it well. Pour in half of the coconut cream, stir and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the potatoes, beans, aubergine and onion.
Pour in the boiling water and the rest of the coconut cream. Season with the fish sauce, prahok, salt and sugar.
Cover and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat, then 15 minutes over low heat.

Serve with rice.

For other meal ideas, my seven-day anti-inflammatory menu is free to access.