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Devil’s Curry

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Devil's Curry is a Malaysian dish of chicken curry with vinegar. It's a special-occasion dish made popular by the Portuguese Eurasian in Malaysia. | rasamalaysia.com

Devil’s Curry is a Malaysian dish of chicken curry with vinegar. It’s a special-occasion dish made popular by the Portuguese Eurasian in Malaysia.

Easy Malaysian Eurasian devil's curry recipe.

For the month of February, I am working with Malaysia Kitchen NYC for a special feature of Malaysian recipes on Rasa Malaysia.

Earlier this month, I have shared my nasi ulam, or Malaysia mixed herb rice recipe with you.

I have received a few emails from the readers that they have successful attempted the nasi ulam recipe at home with great success.

I am very pleased that many of my readers get a taste of Malaysian cuisine through the Malaysian recipes I share on this website.

From preparing and cooking Malaysian dishes, you are exposed to the spices used in Malaysian cooking.

Once you have sampled the delicious Malaysian food, you might consider dining out at a Malaysian restaurant near you, and eventually plan a trip to visit Malaysia.

Such are the goals of the Malaysia Kitchen program—to evangelize and promote Malaysia through its colorful cuisines and its many quality products (food and non-food) to the world.

Top down view of devil's curry made with vinegar served in a bowl.

Today, I am sharing another classic Malaysian recipe with you, a curry dish named Devil’s Curry, popular in the state of Malacca, Malaysia.

In the 15th century, Malacca was the most important trading port in Southeast Asia and the Sultanate of Malacca was a powerful empire.

In 1511, the Portuguese conquered Malacca and started the colonization era of Malaysia.

However, many Portuguese settled down and married local women and formed the Cristang/Eurasian community in Malaccca, and Devil’s Curry or Curry Devil is a special occasion dish for them.

Devil’s Curry is a fiery red curry made with a spice paste of red chilies, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, galangal, and turmeric.

Unlike other Malaysian curries, Devil’s Curry is flavored with vinegar for the sharp taste.

The end result is a curry dish that is spice-laden, complex in flavor, tantalizing to the taste buds—the reasons why it’s a must-have during festivities such as Christmas for the Eurasian Kristang people in Malaysia.

Before I developed this Devil’s Curry recipe, I made sure I checked with my good friend Chef Robert Danhi, whose sister-in-law is a Portuguese Eurasian born and raised in Malacca.

Robert’s/his sister-in-law’s recipe is a very reliable reference, which I adapted to the recipe here.

Easy Melacca Eurasian curry debal recipe.

All the ingredients are accessible outside of Malaysia.

For the spices such as mustard seeds, galangal and turmeric, you can find them at Asian stores.

The recipe serves four people so it’s perfect for the whole family.

For smaller family, you can have this dish for the day, both lunch and dinner, as the flavor develops and becomes richer.

Try this and enjoy Malaysian food on your dining table!

About Malaysia Kitchen for the World

Malaysia Kitchen for the World is a global initiative of the Malaysian government that aims to educate and inform consumers about Malaysian cuisine and Malaysian restaurants throughout the world.

The New York campaign seeks to boost interest among American food lovers to try Malaysian cuisine and visit Malaysian restaurants in the New York metropolitan area as well as in other locations in the United States.

The program also seeks to facilitate local chefs and restaurateurs to introduce Malaysian cuisine at their establishments.

Malaysia kitchen for the world logo.

About MATRADE

The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) is Malaysia’s national trade promotion agency. Established in March 1993 as a statutory agency under the Ministry of International Trade Industry (MITI), MATRADE is responsible for assisting Malaysian companies to succeed in the international market by developing and promoting Malaysia’s exports to the world. MATRADE is the lead agency for the Malaysia Kitchen campaign.

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Devil's Curry Recipe

Devil's Curry is a Malaysian dish of chicken curry with vinegar. It's a special-occasion dish made popular by the Portuguese Eurasian in Malaysia.

Course Side Dish
Cuisine Malaysian
Keyword Devil's Curry
Prep Time
Cook Time
Total Time
Servings 4 people
Calories 736 kcal
Author

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup cooking oil
  • 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
  • 3 pounds chicken, cut into pieces
  • 1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
  • 1 cup water
  • Salt and sugar to taste
  • 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro, for garnishing (optional)

Spice Paste:

  • 20-30 dried chilies, deseeded and soaked in water for 20-30 minutes
  • 8 shallots, coarsely chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 3 stalks lemongrass, white part only, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 1 tablespoon minced galangal
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground tumeric
  • 1/4 cup cooking oil
  • 1-2 tablespoons water

Instructions

  1. In a blender, transfer all the ingredients for the spice paste and puree until smooth. Set aside.
  2. In a Dutch oven or a heavy pot, heat up the oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and cook until you can slightly hear the popping sound from the mustard seeds.
  3. Add the spice paste into the oil and fry until aromatic, about 10-15 minutes. Then add the chicken and coat with the spice paste. Let it cook for about 8-10 minutes and then add in the potatoes. Stir to combine.
  4. Pour in the water; the water should barely cover the meat and potatoes. Add the salt and sugar to taste. Stir well and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat to simmer, cover with a lid and stew for about 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
  5. Adjust the seasoning with salt and sugar. Add white vinegar. Stir to mix. Dish out to a bowl and garnish with the cilantro. Serve with warm rice.

Recipe Notes

The amount of dried chilies to use depends on the level of spiciness you prefer.

To make the tamarind juice, mix 3 tablespoons tamarind pulp with a little over 1/3 cup of water. Use your fingers, squeeze the pulp a few times to get the juice out. Discard the tamarind pulp and seeds.

Nutrition Facts
Devil's Curry Recipe
Amount Per Serving (4 people)
Calories 736 Calories from Fat 477
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 53g 82%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Cholesterol 122mg 41%
Sodium 138mg 6%
Potassium 1053mg 30%
Total Carbohydrates 27g 9%
Dietary Fiber 5g 20%
Sugars 5g
Protein 35g 70%
Vitamin A 17.8%
Vitamin C 26.1%
Calcium 8.5%
Iron 36.5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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46 COMMENTS... read them below or add one

  4. The malaysian vindaloo although towards local spices and herbs which give a fresh lemony ginger hint. The tamarind simply softens the vinegar and gives the dish a more fruity sourness similar to tomatoes in Vindaloo. Very nice with any meat but more suited to white meats.

    Reply

  5. I am also curious about the use of the tamarind juice. Is it included in the spice paste or added at a later time?
    I also notice that you have not adequately answered this question which has been asked a number of times before.

    Reply

  6. Hi, you mention in your “Cooks Notes” how to make Tamarind. You do not mention this in your Ingredients? Do you actually use tamarind, and if you do, how much and when do you add it?
    I am so looking forward to making this as it just looks superb. I will let you know how it goes.
    I am from the UK but use your recipes all the time. I have not made a bad one yet!
    Keep up the brilliant work

    Reply

  7. cool!You did a lot of things to make this,right?So I really think THIS will come in handy if I am going to cook this……
    { You put a lot of effort in it!}

    Reply

  8. My mummy used to cook this every New year’s eve for New year’s day, with the leftover Xmas turkey that no-one ate. We never thought she’d be taken from us so soon, none of us had time to learn how to cook it. Then I came across your site and have been recreating some of her recipes Thank-you so much.

    Reply

    • I am in the same situation as you and I still cry inside (it’s been 5 1/2 years). I miss the wonderful home cooked meals with my parents….. Now all I have are those memories…. Mom never used recipes (or shared her cooking techniques)…… This website has been quite helpful for trying to recreate those meals!!!!!
      It’s been very tough dealing without either of my parents….

      Reply

  9. Hi Bee,

    You mentioned on your Cook’s Notes, a paragraph on Tamarind Juice. However in your recipe list, there is no mention of tamarind juice. Do you mind explaining further on the use of the tamarind juice? Thanks.

    Reply

  11. Can you tell me do you ad the Tamarind juice as well as the vinegar or instead of as it mentions it in the cook’s notes

    Reply

  12. You mention tamarind juice at cook´s note but not in the list of ingredients, must be use it or not?

    Reply

  14. You mentioned tamarind at the cook’s note,I don’t see the ingredient..do I need to use tamarind juice?

    Reply

  15. Hi bee
    Thank you for all the effort u put into putting out Ur recipes out there… I’m just starting out with cooking and chanced upon yr website. I’m so glad I did. tried some of Ur recipes and have achieved a decent amount of success. I’m pretty bad in the kitchen..
    This devil curry recipe looks amazing and can’t wait to try it out.
    Thank you once again.

    Reply

  18. HI…i am an Indian from India working in Melaka for over 7 yrs now. I have tasted this DevilCurry twice. Once cooked by the mother of our Eurasian neighbour and second time in a restoran. The Mum’s preparation was far better.
    I would like to point out that since the Portuguese had colonized, both, Melaka and Goa( in India), there is a Goan dish called Vindaloo, which is very simliar in preparation and taste as Devil Curry.

    Reply

  20. My mom always insisted on allowing the curry to sit at least a day to allow the flavors to soak in. I know each family has slightly different variations for the curry, the one I grew up eating was slightly drier than what was pictured here. Nonetheless I am looking forward to making this. Ty for posting it.

    Reply

  21. From personal experience. I made this dish and it turned out great. As I make lots of thai classics, I found it sufficient to use packaged dry chilies similar to the ones used in Kung Pao chicken or Thai cashew chicken. Always make sure to deseed the chilies.

    A rool to remember is that smaller chilies are more fiery than larger ones. Rawit or bird’s eye chilies and habanero peppers is recommended to stay away from.The package i usually buy just say “dried thai chilies”.

    Hope this helps.

    Reply

  22. Love devil’s pork. The element of vinegar and spice paste mix remind slightly of the Goan/portuguese vindaloo. Gonna give this one a try. With a total lack of local malay cuisine (and hardly any malays) there is no choice by taking personal action in the kitchen.

    Reply

  24. I cooked this curry today, it is very very yummy, Photos are and presentation are awesome ,they made me to cook this, when i saw the site for the first time. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

  27. What I really like on this blog is not just about the food. It’s how the photos are taken :) It makes the food super yummy!

    Reply

  28. I cannot express my gratitude for showing me this recipe. I’ve been living in KL for almost 4 years, before moving back to The Netherlands last month. We really became a fan of traditional, special, typical local dishes. We had Devil’s Curry many, many times. We used to live very nearby Simply Mell’s, a Portuguese-Malacca restaurant in The Sphere, Bangsar South. She has her own version of the Devil’s Curry, which was really delicious.

    As we lived so close, we went there often and almost always ordered this dish. Now that we are back in Holland, it came up as one of the dishes we really miss. Happy to have found the recipe, I am going to try to replicate it (though I am kinda shocked by the amount of ingredients :))….

    I will definitely keep you posted :).

    Ilya from Wonderful Malaysia

    Reply

  33. My husband absolutely loves devil’s curry. When we first got married, I asked him what he would like me to cook. With much persuasion, he asked me for this because he thought it would be really hard to make. It’s been about 3 years now and we can still remember how good it tasted, homemade. Even with limited kitchen utensils and space then! I think it’s time to make it again. :-)

    Reply

  35. In our family Devil Chicken (debal) is served on New Year’s day and uses the Christmas ham bone to give the curry flavour. The important ingredient is the vinegar, which in our family comes from the vegetable pickle (cucumber, cabbage, cauliflower) which is added at the end.

    It should be really spicy; the clue is in the name!

    Reply

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