Nyonya Chicken Curry

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Nyonya loves their chicken curry, or kari ayam in Malay.

When it comes to making chicken curry, I always choose the easy way out—I buy instant chicken curry paste, which is both convenient and quite tasty.

However, back home in Penang, my family would always make chicken curry from scratch.

Well, first of all, you just can’t beat the authentic great taste of a red-hot chicken curry (click the picture above to check out the chicken curry gallery); secondly, no instant curry mix would rival the fresh and exotic aroma of homemade spice paste of turmeric, fennel, cumin, coriander seeds, and other aromatics.

So, the answer is pretty clear. If you want the best chicken curry, be prepared to spend some time in your kitchen…

Chicken curry is made with bone-in chicken traditionally, and curry leaves are used to infuse the chicken curry with the intense fragrance of the curry leaves.

My family love eating chicken curry with nasi kunyit (turmeric sticky rice) but I will have to share that recipe in the future. For now, do check out this mouthwatering chicken curry recipe prepared by my sister-in-law in Penang.

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Nyonya Chicken Curry Recipe

Servings 4 people

Chicken curry is made with bone-in chicken traditionally, and curry leaves are used to infuse the chicken curry with the intense fragrance of the curry leaves.

Calories 169 kcal

Author Bee | Rasa Malaysia

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, remove head, neck, feet and chopped into pieces
200 g potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
200 ml thick coconut milk, to taste (optional)
1 sprig curry leaves, use only the leaves
1 star arise
1 cloves
1 stick cinnamon
5 tbsp oil
1 ½ cup water

Spice Paste (ground):

3 cloves garlic
18 shallots
12 dried chili, soaked and remove seeds
15 g turmeric
15 g coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel
1 teaspoon cumin
20 g shrimp paste, toasted
1 stick lemongrass, white part only

Seasoning

1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

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Directions

1

Heat up your wok, pour in 5 tbsp oil, sauté cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves, fry over low heat, add in spice paste and stir-fry until fragrant.
2

Add chicken, potatoes, curry leaves and fry well. Add in water, cover the pot, braise over low heat until chicken and potatoes are cooked well.
3

Add the thick coconut milk, salt and sugar. Continue to simmer in low heat for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken becomes tender. Remove and serve with white rice, bread, nasi kunyit, or roti jala.

Nutrition Facts

Nyonya Chicken Curry Recipe

Amount Per Serving (4 people)

Calories 169

% Daily Value*

Sodium 597mg26%

Potassium 63mg2%

Carbohydrates 41g14%

Sugar 40g44%

Vitamin A 65IU1%

Vitamin C 0.2mg0%

Calcium 47mg5%

Iron 0.7mg4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Nyonya

Keyword: Nyonya Chicken Curry

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