Chicken Curry Recipe

August 25, 2008

(Instant chicken curry paste is available for sale. Please email rasamalaysia@gmail.com to order. Rasa Malaysia recommended!)

After two weeks of intense Chinese cooking, it's time I get back to my root of cooking Malaysian dishes. As a born and raised Malaysian, with the unique Nyonya heritage, I have to say that I am very fortunate to have learned many different--and exotic--techniques and styles of cooking from my family. On any given meal, I usually combine different kinds of food on my dining table: Malaysian, Chinese, Nyonya, and Indian. As a melting pot of diverse ethnicities and cultures, this is how Malaysians eat.

Chicken curry has always been my favorite, but I hardly spend time and effort making everything from scratch. First of all, I can always rely on my favorite chicken curry paste; secondly, I just don't have the patience, especially when my craving hits. But this past weekend, I felt inspired and motivated. I wanted to make a mean pot of chicken curry properly, without cheating with curry paste. Good recipes are meant to be shared...

There are many different varieties of chicken curry available in Malaysia: Indian, Muslim-Indian (Mamak), Chinese, Malay, and Nyonya. There are probably thousands of recipes but each takes after the basic recipe of chicken curry, adapts, and enhances it accordingly. While different version renders its distinct taste (and presentation), the underlying flavors of chicken curry are pretty much the same--spicy, rich, aromatic, highly addictive, potentially aphrodisiac, and remarkably scrumptious.

Chicken curry can also be "wet" or "dry." The wet version is watery (mostly from coconut milk and water) and the dry version has a thicker curry gravy and tastes more intense. The recipe I am sharing today is Curry Chicken Kapitan--a "dryer" curry and a Nyonya adaptation of the Indian curry chicken. (Kapitan is the name given to appointed Chinese chiefs during the Portuguese and Dutch colonization in Malaysia.)

To feast your eyes, check out my chicken curry photoset, a total of six (6) pictures for your ogling pleasure. If you like what you see, then do try out my chicken curry recipe below.

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If you like curry, you might also like the following curry recipes on Rasa Malaysia:

Indian Squid Curry (Gulai Sotong)

Roti Jala (Lacy Pancakes) with Curry Chicken

Malaysian Indian-style Seafood Curry

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Recipe: Chicken Curry Kapitan

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb boneless chicken thigh and/or breast (cut into small cubes/pieces)
2 lemon grass (cut into 4-inch lengths, use only the white part, pounded)
1 1/2 inch galangal
1/2 lb red chili (seeded and sliced)
5 shallots (sliced)
1 inch ginger
6 candlenuts (soaked in warm water)
1/2 inch fresh turmeric
1/4 teaspoon belacan (fermented shrimp paste)
1 cup coconut milk
6-8 pieces kaffir lime leaves
1 tablespoon lime juice
Salt to taste

Method:

Blend all spices to a very fine paste.
Heat up some cooking oil in a work and stir-fry paste until aromatic or a thin layer of oil rises to the top.
Add chicken and continue stirring until it's almost cooked.
Add the coconut milk and continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes, over low heat.
Add salt to taste and serve hot.

Labels: Malaysian Food, Malaysian Food Recipes, Nyonya Food