During my growing up years, I was always tasked by my late mum to pound dried chillies, shallots,garlic and candlenut whenever she cooks curry. I detested this task so much so that after my job is done, I would not be bothered to stay in the kitchen to watch her cook her delicious curry. It was also not very often the family had chicken curry which was considered as occasion food in my younger days. So I have never learnt to cook nice chicken curry, and there is no family recipe to follow. It is also out of sheer laziness and convenience that I have always cooked chicken curry with store bought rempah.
Today, I'm a little hardworking(I think peeling shallots is hard work ). I cook a pot of Kari Ayam from scratch. I am a happy cook, the Kari Ayam from scratch is so sedap! I don't think I will buy another store bought rempah again, even on my lazy cook days.
Kari Ayam
Travelling-foodies
Ingredients A
1 chicken appro 1.2kg cut into large chunks
2 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 sprig curry leaves
Rempah ingredients
100g shallots or large onions, peeled and sliced
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
thumb-length knob of giner
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp chili powder
Condiments and others
1 stick of cassia bark (kayu manis)
2 star anise
1 stalk of lemongrass, cut into large chunks, sliced lengthwise and bruised slightly
1/4 cup of cooking oil
2-3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
500ml of thick coconut milk
200ml of water
1 tsp salt to taste
1 sprig of curry leaves
1 tbsp sugar, optional
1 chicken bouillon cube, optional
1 tsp ground pepper, to taste, optional
Method
- Mix all the ingredients A thoroughly, rub each piece of chicken thoroughly with the powders and salt and marinate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight in the fridge.
- Blend or pound the peeled shallots or onions, garlic and ginger to form a coarse paste. Set aside the additional curry and chili powder for later use.
- To a heated wok, add oil followed by blended onion-garlic-ginger paste. Stir fry slowly under medium heat until aromatic, 3-5 minutes.
- Add bruised lemongrass,cili powder,curry powder, cassia bark stick and star anise and continue to stir fry until all the aroma of the spices and ingredients are very apparent (3-5 mins)
- Add marinated chicken chunks. Stir fry until the chicken are well coated with the fried ingredients. Continue to stir fry under medium heat for another 10 minutes.
- Add water as well as half the amount of coconut milk and potatoes. Bring the mixture to a boil before simmering with lid on for 20 min. The chicken cube should be added now if using.
- Taste and adjust the flavours with more salt. A bit of sugar may be added to balance the flavours while ground pepper can be added for an additional spicy edge.
- Add remaining thick coconut milk and return to a boil before simmering to medium-low heat for the last 10-15 min or until the chicken and potatoes are soft and thoroughly cooked through. A sprig of curry leaves is added at this point to 'refresh' the aroma of the dish.
- Serve warm with rice, roti peranchis or roti jala.
Note: I blended the rempah ingredients together with the curry and chili powder. I shallow fry the potatoes before adding into the chicken. All photos taken from my Iphone camera.
Wishing all my readers here a Blessed New Year! Proverbs 23:18 tells us about God's promises and to face the new year with hope.
There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:18
I was away on holiday in the UK and want to share with you this beautiful light and sound show at Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford upon Avon.
