Nonya Curry Chicken

Almost every non-vegetarian household in Asia have  their own favorite version of this comforting and delicious curry chicken. It is great with rice or bread. In Malaysia, it graces every occasion from  Monday night dinner to birthdays and weddings. The Peranakan Nyonya version incorporates fresh turmeric, blue ginger (galangal), red chillies, shallots and garlic with dried spices to form a wet paste to cook this chicken curry with aromatics,herbs, spices and tanginess blended to perfection. Chicken curry is also made with bone-in chicken traditionally, and curry leaves(Murraya koenigii) are used to infuse the chicken curry with the intense fragrance of the curry leaves.

My Mom makes four different versions of chicken curry – Nyonya with coconut milk, Nyonya with tamarind, Indian with dry spices and a Chinese mild style. I personally like the Nyonya coconut version and I usually use a pre-made curry paste, which is readily available nowadays and quite tasty. However, occasionally, my family would actually make our family Nyonya chicken curry from scratch. Making the wet paste from fresh herbs and toasted spices puts the “bam” into the curry, but it is painstaking long. My family loves eating chicken curry with nasi kunyit (turmeric glutinous rice), roti jala (netted crepes) or just plain white rice.  The potatoes in this dish is usually the best tasting, and the first to eaten. Hence, recipe calls for 2-3 lb of potatoes depending how many spud fanatic are at the table! – Nik Ooi.

Ingridients for spice paste

Process till a smooth paste

Saute dry spices and curry leaves

Saute till aromatic and oil separates

Add chicken to spice mixture

Add potatoes to pot

Ingredients

4-6 lb chicken, cut into 2 -3 inch sections, as desired

1 tsp. each of cumin, fennel and coriander, for seasoning

2 – 3 lbs red or yellow potatoes, peeled, cut into wedges

14 oz coconut milk

4 sprigs of curry leaves

4 whole star anises

4 whole cloves

2 whole cinnamon sticks

2 fresh chillies, deseeded and halved lengthways

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp salt, or to taste

2 tbsp vegetable oil

water as needed

Rempah(wet spice paste)

3 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground fennel

15 dried long red chillies*, deseeded, soaked in boiling water until soft, drained and cut

into 2-inch sections

6 fresh chillies, deseeded and cut into 2-inch sections

1 oz belacan, toasted

2 inches or 3 oz fresh galangal peeled and sliced

2 inches or 1 oz fresh turmeric root, peeled and sliced

1 stalk lemon grass, white section only, sliced

3 cloves garlic, peeled, sliced

¾ to 1 lb shallots, peeled, sliced

1/2-cup vegetable oil

*Dried chillies – There are several types of dried chillies. For this recipe, choose the type that is about finger sized. The smaller ones can very hot and the broader, larger ones milder. Dried chillies are required to impart the smokiness  flavor in curries. Snip chillies into quarter segments with scissors and shake thes seeds out  before soaking. Remove some or all of the seeds, depending on how spicy you like your curry.

Method:

1. Season cut chicken with 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp. each  of coriander, cumin, and fennel. Refrigerate chicken for at least 2 hours or overnight to allow flavors to penetrate. Bring to room temperature before cooking.
2. Blend the rempah ingredients in ½ cup vegetable oil until a fine paste.
3. In a large pot, add 2 tbsp vegetable oil to sauté whole cinnamon, star anise and half curry leaves until fragrant.
4. Add the rempah paste to the pot and sauté over medium heat and stirring frequently. Sauté until fragrant and oil streaks is seen bubbling on the bottom of the pot.
5. Add chicken into the pot and stir to coat chicken with the spiced paste. Continue to cook chicken until color changes and chicken turns opaque. Stir often to mix well and prevent spices from burning.  
6. Add coconut milk, potatoes and add just enough water to the level of the chicken. Bring to a boil and add remaining curry leaves. Cover the pot and reduce to a simmer for another 20 – 30 mins. Uncover the pot for part of the time depending on desired level of gravy. 
7. Add soy sauce and salt to taste.
8. Serve with rice or rotis

Portion: 4

Prep time: 120  mins

Cook time: 60 mins