Devil's Curry

4.61 from 23 votes

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.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Malaysian

Keyword: Devil's Curry

Servings: People

Calories: 336kcal

Author: Bee Yinn Low

Ingredients

Spice Paste:

20-30 dried red chilies seeded and soaked in water for 20-30 minutes
8 small 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 turmeric
1/4 cup cooking oil
1-2 tablespoons water

Other Ingredients:

1/4 cup cooking oil
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
3 lbs (1.35kg) chicken cut into pieces
1 lb (750g) potatoes peeled and cut into pieces
1 cup water
Salt and sugar to taste
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
Cilantro for garnishing, optional

Instructions

In a blender, transfer all the ingredients for the Spice Paste and puree until smooth. Set aside.
In a Dutch oven or a heavy pot, heat up the oil on medium heat When the oil is heated, add the mustard seeds and cook until you can hear the popping sound from the mustard seeds.
Add the Spice Paste into the oil and fry until aromatic, about 10 minutes or until the oil separates and floats to the top.
Add the chicken, stir to coat with the spice paste. Let cook for about 8-10 minutes, add in the potatoes. Stir to combine well.
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 simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
Adjust the seasoning with salt and sugar. Add the white vinegar or tamarind juice (refer to Notes). Stir to mix well.
Turn off the heat and serve the Devil's Curry with cilantro as the garnishing, if using. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Notes

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

You can use tamarind juice to replace the distilled white vinegar. To make the tamarind juice, mix 3 tablespoons of tamarind pulps with a little over 1/3 cup of water. Use your fingers to squeeze the pulps a few times to get the juice out. Discard the tamarind pulps and use the tamarind juice.

Nutrition