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Nyonya Chicken Curry - Chicken curry is made with bone-in chicken and curry leaves are used to infuse the chicken curry with their intense fragrance.
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 curry chicken 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 169 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Nyonya Chicken Curry
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Nyonya Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, remove head, neck, feet and chopped into pieces
- 200 g (7 oz) 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 (½ oz) turmeric
- 15 g (½ oz) coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 20 g (¾ oz) shrimp paste, toasted
- 1 stick lemongrass, white part only
Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Heat up your wok, pour in 5 tablespoons of oil, and sauté the cinnamon stick, star anise, and cloves over low heat. Add the spice paste and stir-fry until fragrant.
- Add the chicken, potatoes, and curry leaves, and fry well. Then add water, cover the pot, and braise over low heat until the chicken and potatoes are cooked through.
- Add the thick coconut milk, salt, and sugar. Continue to simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender. Remove from heat and serve with white rice, bread, nasi kunyit, or roti jala.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
