Kari Ayam (Malaysian Curry Chicken)

I still vividly remember the time when I first attempted at making the authentic Malaysian kari ayam in my home science cooking lesson at school with Mrs. D. All of us girls were quite terrified back then when we've cooking lesson with Mrs. D. She proves to be the best home science teacher in my school, I reckon for at least 2 decades. Yes, back then we've strict rules to follow when we make our kari ayam, all ingredients measured to the scale even the curry powder. Even though I had eaten kari ayam over and over, I didn't realise that there is an ingredient use to give the curry it's ''lemak'' (creamy) texture-candlenut or better known as buah keras in Malaysia. It was in the lesson I learnt and have a first look of candlenut. Of course back then all the key ingredients like coconut milk is freshly squeezed from the grated coconut and the sambal paste freshly pounded with some manual hand power. They tasted real good. Of course over here now, I try, I try to replicate as much to the original recipes except for the can of coconut milk and dry kaffir lime leave that I subject myself to. Some you know I'm a fresh ingredients freak, even no lazy garlic is allow in my cooking. :-)
And to have kari ayam with rice is consider a majestic treat for a cold winter's day.

Kari Ayam (Malaysian Curry Chicken)
Ingredients

• 1 free range chicken (roughly about 1.5 to 2 kgs)-chopped into 16 pieces-marinate with 2 tbsp of curry powder and 2 tbsp of coconut milk for an hour
• 4 big potatoes-cut into cubes-parboiled for about 5-7 minutes
• 2 tbsp curry powder-mix with 3 tbsp of coconut milk to form paste
• 1 can of coconut milk-roughly 400ml
• 6 kaffir lime leaves or better still use curry leaves
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste+5 tbsp of water-make into tamarind juice
• salt to taste
• 1-2 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp of vegetable oil

Paste ingredients

• 10 shallots-chopped
• 10 dried chillis - soaked in warm water for 10minutes-chopped (warning this is spicy)
• 3 red chillis-chopped
• 1 garlic bulb-chopped
• thumb size ginger-chopped
• 3 lemon grass stalks-chopped
• 3 candlenut-broken into pieces
• 1 small piece of sambal belacan

1. Use a mortar and pestle to pound the paste ingredients. I find this very therapeutic. You can use a food processor to blend them as well.
2. Heat a wok and pour in the oil, once it's hot add in the paste (1) and curry paste and let it sautéed till fragant. This takes about a minute. Add in the kaffir lime leaves/curry leaves, sautéed .
3. Add in the chicken and continue to stir fry for 2-3minutes until meat is lightly cook. Add in the parboiled potatoes and mix thoroughly. Turn the heat to low. This will ensure the coconut milk will not curdle
4. Add the coconut milk, tamarind juice, salt and sugar to taste. Stir. Close with a lid, and let it simmer on low heat for 20-25minutes.
5. Turn off heat. Served hot with rice.

Candlenut

Japanese Chikin Kare (Chicken Curry)

My first experience of Japanese Chicken Curry was like 5 years ago at a Japanese restaurant in Singapore. It is very different from the type of curry that I'm used to, the Japanese curry is milder, sweeter, more like a stew and one would not feel guilty of indulging in it as I think it's rather healthy type of curry, no traces of coconut cream or cream in it. It's so comforting meal for a cold nite and nevertheless easy to prepare.

The Japanese golden curry cube

Japanese Chikin Kare (Chicken Curry)
Ingredients (serves 4)

• 400 gm chicken breast meat cut into bite size
  
• 2 big onions diced
• 2 big potatoes diced
• 3 big carrots diced
• 750 ml chicken stock/water
• 3 golden curry cube
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp honey
• Spring onion for garnishing
  

1. In a pan, heat the oil and sweat the onion. Then add in the chicken and stir fry for 3 minutes or so. Then add in the carrots, potatoes and the chicken stock. On high heat bring it to a boil, then turn the heat to medium to low and let it simmer for approximately 25-30mins until soft.
   
2. Then add in the cube and continue to stir until it completely melts. Continue to stir to ensure it mixes well. Add in the honey. Simmer for additional 10minutes or so.
3. Turn off heat. Scoop and serve warm on rice.

You will be back asking for second :-)

I use this S&B brand-there are total of 8 cubes in the packing

Kaeng Khiao Wan Kai (Thai Green Curry)

I always fancy spicy food especially for cold nites. I'm totally head over heel when it comes to green curry. So here I present to you my favorite Thai green curry in all its freshness (quoted : I do the curry paste like the authentic Thai way), smooth as silk :-).


Kaeng Khiao Wan Kai(Thai Green Curry)

Ingredients

Curry paste

• 20 green hot chillis (can be reduced if you want it milder)
  
• 10 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp sliced galangal
• 1 lemon grass stalk finely chopped
  
• 1 tsp coriander root
  
• 5 pepper corns
• 1 tbsp roasted corriander seeds
• 1 tsp roasted cumin seeds
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp shrimp paste

Other ingredients

• 300 gm chicken breast meat
• 100gm aubergine diced in cube
  
• 50gm button mushroom/ 2 carrots diced/5 baby corn
  
• 5 kaffir lime leaves finely chopped
  
• 2 stems of Thai basil finely chopped
  
• bunch of fresh coriander finely chopped
  
• 1 tbsp of fish sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar (or can substitute with honey)
  
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1.5 cup coconut cream
• 1 cup of water

1. Sliced chicken into thin slices
2. Place curry paste ingredient into food processor/mortar and blend into smooth paste.
3. Heat oil in a pan, fry the curry paste & kaffir lime leaves till fragrant, reduce heat, add coconut cream and stir continuosly so not to curdle.
   
4. Add chicken, vegetables and let it simmer on low heat for awhile. Then add in the water, sugar, fish sauce to taste. Cover the pan and let it simmer till cook.
5. Add the Thai basil & coriander into the curry and served with rice.

Totally ga ga over Thai green curry :-). Warning: Spicy

If you opt not to prepare curry paste, can get Mae Ploy brand Thai green curry paste from supermarket. It is as good :-)

My Comfort Food

Finally I officially cooked something in my new cast iron pot. So versatile, so robust, so heat savvy and am sure it will be my favorite cookware. Investing a pot that could last me years and years itself already paid for the non lasting cookwares I had before. Some might wonder what did I cook in it. How about Malaysian chicken curry. The distinctive Malaysian chicken curry is signifies by the use of potatoes, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, candlenut (buah keras) and specially mixed curry powder. This is what I call comfort food for autumn.



Malaysian chicken curry (Kari Ayam)

Ingredients

• 6 pcs whole chicken leg(cut 3 pc each)
  
• 1 can coconut milk(400ml)
  
• 300 ml water
  
• 3-4 pc kaffir lime leaves
  
• 1 lemongrass stalk
  
• 4 tbsp Malaysian Adabi Chicken Meat Curry Powder
• 2 candlenut/buah keras crushed
  
• 2 shallots finely chopped
  
• 1 big onion finely chopped
• 2 slices of ginger, finely chopped
• 2 chillis finely chopped
• 4 big potatoes, peeled and cubed
  
• 2 tbsp sugar
  
• 2 tbsp salt
  
• 4 tbsp cooking oil
  

1. Wash and cut whole chicken leg,drain and set aside.
2. In a pot, boiled the potatoes, just about to cook, drained and set aside.
3. Add 4 tbsp of coconut milk to the curry powder to form paste and set aside.
   
4. Heat slowly the cast iron pot, once heated, add in shallots, ginger, onion, chillis, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and fry for awhile till lightly brown and fragrant. Then add in the curry paste and stir. Add in chicken and stir fry for 2-3minutes.
   
5. Then pour in the remaining coconut milk and stir, remember to slowly simmer and not on high heat as this will cause the coconut milk to curdle. Add in potatoes, sugar, salt, candlenut and let it simmer for 25minutes. By this time the potatoes has soften and some might have dissolved into the gravy and thicken. If you find it too thick, add in the water.
6. Served with rice, prata, naan, or even noodles.
   

With this big pot of curry it's gonna last me for 3 meals :-) . Yummy. Brrrrrp.......

Hurry hurry here comes my curry

It reads 13C as on my car thermostat at 6pm. All I could ever hope for at this moment is a bowl of spicy piping hot curry. Be it Thai green or red, Malaysian and even Indian curry I would be thrilled. Somehow I was not in a hurry to choose any particular curry. On any given day I can have Thai green curry for lunch and dinner and yet wanting more the next day.
Here I am given the choice to make myself a nice curry....Thai,Malaysian, Indian or rather the disputed British creation of Tikka Masala. So what have I got in my fridge? I have a cup of single cream, yogurt, pepper bell, chillies, onion and tandoori chicken breast meat. So by the looks of it, I have no other choice but to cook myself the sweet spicy Tikka Masala dish. Hope it is as good to cure my craving of Thai green curry. I could hear my hungry stomach rumbling " hurry, hurry all I need is curry" .... or am I hallucinating?..... you decide...

Recipes

Ingredients

• 300g ready made tandoori chicken breast(readily available in supermarket)
• 1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced
• ½ red pepper, deseeded and sliced
• ½ green pepper, deseeded and sliced
• 2 red chillies, deseeded and sliced (increase if more spicy required)
• a handful of fresh corriander chopped
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• a pinch of ground cinnamon
• a pinch of ground coriander
• a pinch of turmeric
• 1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes
• 100ml plain yoghurt
• 100ml double cream

Heat a pan, pour in vegetable oil, on a medium heat, fry the onion, peppers and spices in a large saucepan. Cook gently for 10 minutes then add the tin of tomatoes and the yoghurt. Add the chicken pieces and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes until cooked. Just before serving, stir through the cream and yougurt chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with briyani rice, poppadum and pickles.