From the Kitchen: Malay Chicken Curry
by Matilda Scarfe
This recipe was cooked by the delightful Zainie during a Gourmet Cooking Safari to South Africa. She cooked us this lovely curry when we visited her restaurant The Noon Gun, which is so called as it is right next to the gun on Signal Hill that goes off every day at noon.
You will need:
1.5 kg chicken thighs
Salt and cracked pepper
Vegetable oil
2 large onions, roughly sliced
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 sticks cassia or cinnamon
2 tbsp crushed garlic
2 tbsp crushed ginger
3 tbsp roasted masala
1 tbsp turmeric
3 4 large tomatoes, blanched, skinned and chopped
500ml warm chicken stock
3 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
Curry leaves
Fresh coriander
Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat a little oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion until golden.
Stir in the chilli, cassia or cinnamon, garlic, ginger, masala and turmeric.
Sizzle for about 30 seconds (dont burn!).
Add the tomatoes and chicken stock.
Add the chicken to the pot, cover and simmer very gently for about 45 to 50 minutes or until cooked. Add the potatoes and curry leaves halfway through the cooking process. Check and adjust the flavour if necessary.
Place the curry in a large serving dish, garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with rice, sambals and chutney.
Note: Malay curries are traditionally eaten with your hands. Its quite an experience try it!
Apple Sambal
3 large Granny Smith apples
5ml salt
1 green chilli, finely chopped
15ml lemon juice or vinegar
10ml sugar, or to taste
Peel, core and grate apples coarsely, sprinkle with salt and allow to draw for 15 minutes.
Squeeze out the moisture (the apple should be fairly dry).
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Roasted Masala
150g coriander seeds
125g cumin seeds
50g dried red chillies
25g black peppercorns
2 cinnamon sticks, broken into small pieces
5g whole cloves
15g cardamom pods, lightly crushed
15g star anise
20g fennel seeds
35g turmeric
35g ground ginger
Place the coriander, cumin, chillies, peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom pods, star anise and fennel seeds into a deep frying pan and roast, tossing lightly until the mixture is aromatic.
Remove from the heat and mix with the turmeric and ginger.
Allow to cool and grind fairly finely with a pestle and mortar or coffee grinder.
Store in a screw-topped jar in a dark place or in the freezer.
Matilda produces the Gourmet Afrika range of products which includes mango, pawpaw and ginger chutney and blatjang chutney, which go well with this curry, while her masala spice mix can be substituted for the roasted masala.
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