Vietnamese Rabbit & Lemongrass Curry

Rachel and I go on one rabbit hunt a year. It usually takes place at the tail end of the season. All the hunting gear has been put away for a few weeks by this time, but we dig out our blaze orange every February to chase some bunnies around.

Rabbit hunting with our friends and their dogs is a riot. I could listen to these tiny beagles bawling on a rabbit track all day. And that's usually what happens. As cute as these dogs are, they’re hell on rabbits. If there is a rabbit in a thicket, they'll find it. And unless that rabbit goes underground, these dogs will stay on the trail. Last year, we had a rabbit make an hour and a half long run. The dogs stayed on it the entire time, and I shot the rabbit at the same spot we jumped it. 

Most days, we collectively shoot a dozen or more rabbits. This trip, the conditions weren’t ideal- windy and the ground was partially covered in snow- but we managed eight. No complaints whatsoever.

All this cool weather had us in the mood for some cozy food. This lemongrass curry is something I grew up with. It is not quite Indian curry, nor Thai curry. It’s very distinctly Vietnamese. The verison I grew up with was made with chicken, but rabbit is a fine substitute. 

The base for this recipe is the paste made out of lemongrass, ginger and shallots. Process that, fry it in a pan, add the curry, pepper, rabbit and coconut milk. Top off with some water or stock. Simmer until almost done, and add in the carrots and potatoes. Cook until the veg is tender, and serve over rice with green onions and cilantro.

Vietnamese Rabbit & Lemongrass Curry

INGREDIENTS:

~2# of rabbit quarters

3 lemongrass stalks

1-1.5” of ginger, peeled, rough chop

2 shallots, rough chop

2 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp red pepper flake

1 can coconut milk

Water or stock

2-3 cups of potatoes, peeled, large dice

1 cup carrots, peeled, large dice

method:

Cut off and discard the dry top part of the lemongrass. Chunk the remaining bottom into 1” chunks. Place in a food processor and pulse until very fine. Add ginger, and pulse until fine. Add in shallots and pulse lightly.

In a high sided pan, add oil and heat over medium high. Add in lemongrass, ginger, and shallot paste. Stir and cook until very fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. 

Add in curry powder and pepper flake, stir to incorporate. Cook for 1-2 minutes. 

Add in rabbit, season with salt and pepper. Stir. Add in coconut milk, and top off with water or stock until the rabbit is just covered.

Cover with lid, adjust heat to a simmer and cook until meat is almost fork tender (60-120 minutes depending on the age of the rabbits). Add in potatoes and carrots, cover and cook for another 15-20 minutes until tender.

Serve over rice and garnish with green onions and cilantro.

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