Tag: curry leaf
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PK Makes Heng’s Brand Nyonya Chicken Curry
Malaysian cuisine features some of my favourite comfort food. I was in my local Asian grocer last week and saw a Chicken Nyonya Curry ‘ready to cook’ paste made by the Heng’s brand.
I love making Nyonya rempah from scratch but I thought I would give this product a try. I was thinking forward to times I might need a comfort curry but can’t be bothered cooking one from scratch.
It was amazing and I am going to stock up this and their other flavours. The colours and fragrances balanced perfectly and there was just the right amount of chili kick.
Heng’s has posted a youtube video here and I am going to show you what I did too.
Note: This is not a paid post.
First I parboiled about 600g of peeled chunky sliced potatoes in boiling water with a pinch of saffron. I misunderstood the label’s directions and thought I needed 1.5kg of chicken pieces and potatoes combined. It is actually 1.5kg of chicken pieces and additional potatoes. No problem, it still worked out fine and the paste didn’t miss a beat.
While I was doing that I heated the paste until the oil started to separate out.
I very gently mixed in my ~900g chicken pieces, coating every bit of them with the paste.
I added the potatoes and a generous handful of fresh curry tree leaves.
After gently mixing everything, I added 500ml of water (taking care not to wash the paste off the chicken and potatoes).
I slowly brought everything to a gentle boil and then simmered, covered, for about 15 minutes. Just look at the colours!
I then added 100ml of coconut milk and let the sauce simmer for a few more minutes. You can certainly skip this step if you want a runnier sauce.
Serving
Gently place the chicken and potato into serving bowls and then spoon lots of sauce over everything.
White rice and plenty of roti wouldn’t go amiss either. 🙂
Enjoy,
PK
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PK Makes Rick Stein’s Chettinad Chicken
This is by far my favourite recipe from the TV series and book, ‘Rick Stein’s India’ (see BBC link here).
In my family’s version we keep the heat factor low and serve it with lightly steamed vegetables to keep it kid friendly. Well that is what my wife (who hates chili and curries in general) tells everyone but you didn’t hear it from me. Also in my defence, she shouldn’t have bought me a book full of curry recipes :).
Despite the shameful lack of chili and heat, our version of this dish is still amazingly dry, peppery and oh so flavoursome. I think it loses some of the colour that so defines these type of curries however. I hope I am forgiven though as the result is very tender, sticky chicken calling out for some rice and sides of your favourite green vegetables :). Edit: I now use ground annato seed to impart a natural red colouring but one without the heat of chillis.
A couple of recipe notes:
- This dish calls for the use of a lichen called dagarful and I beg you to try it. I used cinnamon as a substitute originally but I have used the real deal in this post and there is no going back.
- I use my home-made chicken stock instead of water.
- Please check out my masla making tips in PK’s Curry Paste Kit before you start.
You will be:
- Making the dry masala.
- Cooking the chicken.
- Serving.
You will need:
- Ingredients:
- Dry Masala
- 1 Tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 Tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 Tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 Tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder (go 1 Tbsp or more if allowed)
- Chicken
- 1kg skinless boneless chicken thighs, chunky sliced, short ways
- 200g red shallots, diced
- 200ml home made chicken stock
- 50ml olive oil
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 8cm cinnamon stick
- 1 Tbsp dagarful, rinsed and rough chopped (or an extra 3cm cinnamon stick)
- a very large handful of curry leaves (the more the better)
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
- 4cm ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 tsp raw sugar
- 1 tsp table or ground rock salt
- Dry Masala
- Equipment:
- a chopping board
- a long sharp knife
- a frypan
- a dry mixer
- a deep frypan for the chicken
Steps:
Making the dry masala
- In a frypan, dry roast the 1 Tbsp fennel seeds, 1 Tbsp cumin seeds, 1 Tbsp coriander seeds and 1 Tbsp black peppercorns.
- Allow to cool and then and to your dry spice mixer.
- Add 1 tsp kashmiri chili powder as well and then give it a quick pulse.
Spice heaven:
Coarsely ground dry masala (looks and smells amazing):
Cooking the chicken
- Peel and dice the 200g of red shallots.
- Chop the 1kg of chicken thighs short ways to get roughly 2.5cm chunks.
- In a deep frypan heat the 50ml olive oil.
- Add the 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 Tbsp dagarful and the 8cm of cinnamon stick and stir for a few minutes.
- Add a very large handful of curry leaves and the 200g of red shallots. Stir until the latter are soft.
- Add the 1kg of chicken and stir for a few minutes.
- Add and stir for a few minutes the:
- dry masala
- 4 cloves garlic
- 4cm ginger
- 1 tsp raw sugar
- 1 tsp table salt
- Add the 200ml chicken stock.
- Cook for about 45 minutes or until the sauce is much reduced and sticky.
I love the colours of this dish’s ingredients:
Sauté the spices, red shallots and curry leaves:
Add the chicken, stir and then add the garlic, ginger, sugar, salt and dry masala:
Cook until the sauce is thick:
Serving
- Cook your favourite rice, mine is basmati :).
- Steam some green vegetables for a splash of colour.
Enjoy,
PK
Here are more Indian cuisine posts and Rick Stein recipes:
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Bish’s Curry Nuts
We have a new special guest blogger and this guy know a lot about the web of life and the impact that feeding our population has on it. It is partly because of him that I realise we have a moral duty to ask where our food comes from and how it gets to us. It is important not to waste one iota of the food we grow, so I love any recipe that helps.
So here is his first post.
Bish writes:
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We have an overactive curry leaf plant (Murraya koenigii) in our garden and we have been struggling to find uses for it apart from our own curries. It’s going so well that it has flowered a few times and has a crop of berries on it at the moment, which I’m trying to work out how to use to propagate some more.A Sri Lankan friend told us how he uses them to make a nice snack and so we’ve been giving it a try.
You’ll need:
- Two stems of curry leaves, removed from stems
- Two handfuls of unsalted, raw cashews
- Salt (to taste)
- Olive oil (a splash)
Basically, cut off a couple of stems full of leaves and then take them off the stem so you have the individual leaves separated. Put a splash of olive oil in a small frypan, get it hot and toss in the leaves, you’ll hear them crackle and spit as they crispen up. Chuck in a good whack of salt (how much depends on your own preference) and then add the raw, unsalted cashews. Turn down the heat so that the nuts don’t burn and then just keep them moving about in the pan until they roast up nicely.
Once you’re happy with the colour of the nuts (watch that they, nor the leaves, burn) then take them off the heat and either start munching on them as soon as they’re cool enough or let them totally cool … who am I kidding, as soon as these are done you’ll be tucking into them. The leaves are great as part of the snack too – salty, curry, crunchy goodness.
Bish
Related Links:
- see more of Bish’s posts here
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Poh’s Nyonya Chicken Curry
What I like most about this dish is that you get to make your own curry paste (or in Nyonyan cuisine ‘a rempah’). Please see Malay for spice if you want more information.
When I cook this meal I reduce the sauce until it sticks to the chicken, the roof of your mouth and, of course, your fingers :).
I have tried it with boneless chicken breast but I have to say I prefer using chicken drumsticks. The bones make for a tastier sauce and the thighs for tenderer meat. If you don’t like the look of the bones at serving time use two forks to jerk the chicken.
My notes say that I originally got the recipe from Taste.com.au and that it was by Poh Ling Yeow. I can’t find that original post now but she wrote that it took her lots of trial and error to get that ‘authentic taste.’ She wrote “The first time I made this and it worked, I jumped around like a lunatic, I was so happy. I felt like I had conjured magic, to make a dish like this and have it hitting all those familiar notes of home”.
The ingredients list might look a bit daunting at first but trust me it is worth it. I have of course tweaked it a bit for my lazy cooking style and reduced the chili content for my family. Add your favourite whole chilis after the paste has been sautéed if you like it hot.
Oh, by the way, you can double the recipe as this meal freezes well. I recommend keeping any leftover rice in a separate container for a stress free microwave reheat though.
STEPS:
- Make the rempah
- Cook the spices and then mix everything in one pot
- One pot simmer
You will need:
- Rempah Ingredients:
- 1 tsp table salt
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 3.5 Tbsp whole coriander seeds
- 1.5 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 1.5 tsp whole fennel seeds
- 1 tsp powdered kashmiri chili (at the minimum)
- 1 Tbsp dried belacan (shrimp paste)*
- 1 Tbsb powdered turmeric
- 3 cloves garlic
- 270g red shallots (sliced)
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- Note *: I sometimes use a treacle consistency type of belacan but find it too sticky and harder to blend than the dried version.
- Curry Ingredients
- 3 Tbsb coconut cream
- 10 sprigs of curry leaves
- 1 star anise
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1.5kg chicken thigh fillets
- 500g potatoes
- 500ml coconut milk
- Rempah Equipment
- a chopping board
- a long sharp knife
- a medium sized bowl
- a small plate
- a wet blender with a very small bowl
- a dry spice mixer (or a mortar and pestle)
- Curry Equipment
- a chopping board
- a long sharp knife
- a measuring cup for the coconut milk
- 2 large plates
- a large deep frypan or stockpot
Make the rempah
I listed all the ingredients for the curry itself and the rempah for your shopping lists but I’ve actually posted the rempah recipe separately here – A Nyonya Rempah.
Cook the spices and then mix everything in one pot
In summary:
Steps:
- Peel, halve and parboil the 500g of potatoes in the saucepan. Rinse and then drain them.
- Bring the 3 Tbsp coconut cream, 1 star anise, 2 whole cloves and the 1 cinnamon stick together. Then chuck them in the pot.
- Bring your Nyonya curry paste out of the fridge and let it come up to room temperature somewhat. If you are using a frozen batch you should have defrosted it fully by now. Chuck the paste in the pot too.
- Sauté everything that is in the pot for about 10 minutes. Watch the colour of the Nyonya paste change and the oil start to separate out. See the image below showing the raw paste on the left and the cooked paste on the right. By now your kitchen is smelling amazing :).
- To the pot, add the 1.5kg chicken thigh fillets, pausing to mix them with the spice blend as you go.
- Add the now parboiled potatoes, 10 sprigs of curry leaves and 500ml of coconut milk to the pot and simmer until the potatoes and chicken legs are cooked through.
Serve with lots of your favourite rice. Mine is Basmarti and please don’t tell anyone I use the store bought packets you microwave for 90 seconds.
Poh is amazing,
PK
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PK Makes Poh’s Nyonya Chicken Curry
What I like most about this dish is that you get to make your own curry paste (or in Nyonyan cuisine ‘a rempah’). Please see Malay for spice if you want more information.
When I cook this meal I reduce the sauce until it sticks to the chicken, the roof of your mouth and, of course, your fingers :).
I have tried it with boneless chicken breast but I have to say I prefer using chicken drumsticks. The bones make for a tastier sauce and the thighs for tenderer meat. If you don’t like the look of the bones at serving time use two forks to jerk the chicken.
My notes say that I originally got the recipe from Taste.com.au and that it was by Poh Ling Yeow. I can’t find that original post now but she wrote that it took her lots of trial and error to get that ‘authentic taste.’ She wrote “The first time I made this and it worked, I jumped around like a lunatic, I was so happy. I felt like I had conjured magic, to make a dish like this and have it hitting all those familiar notes of home”.
The ingredients list might look a bit daunting at first but trust me it is worth it. I have of course tweaked it a bit for my lazy cooking style and reduced the chili content for my family. Add your favourite whole chilis after the paste has been sautéed if you like it hot.
Oh, by the way, you can double the recipe as this meal freezes well. I recommend keeping any leftover rice in a separate container for a stress free microwave reheat.
STEPS:
- Make the rempah
- Cook the spices and then mix everything in one pot
- One pot simmer
You will need:
- Rempah Ingredients:
- 1 tsp table salt
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 3.5 Tbsp whole coriander seeds
- 1.5 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 1.5 tsp whole fennel seeds
- 1 tsp powdered kashmiri chili (at the minimum)
- 1 Tbsp dried belacan (shrimp paste)*
- 1 Tbsb powdered turmeric
- 3 cloves garlic
- 270g red shallots (sliced)
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- Note *: I sometimes use a treacle consistency type of belacan but find it too sticky and harder to blend than the dried version.
- Curry Ingredients
- 3 Tbsb coconut cream
- 10 sprigs of curry leaves
- 1 star anise
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1.5kg chicken thigh fillets
- 500g potatoes
- 500ml coconut milk
- Rempah Equipment
- a chopping board
- a long sharp knife
- a medium sized bowl
- a small plate
- a wet blender with a very small bowl
- a dry spice mixer (or a mortar and pestle)
- Curry Equipment
- a chopping board
- a long sharp knife
- a measuring cup for the coconut milk
- 2 large plates
- a large deep frypan or stockpot
Make the rempah
I listed all the ingredients for the curry itself and the rempah for your shopping lists but I’ve actually posted the rempah recipe separately here – A Nyonya Rempah.
Cook the spices and then mix everything in one pot
In summary:
Steps:
- Peel, halve and parboil the 500g of potatoes in the saucepan. Rinse and then drain them.
- Bring the 3 Tbsp coconut cream, 1 star anise, 2 whole cloves and the 1 cinnamon stick together. Then chuck them in the pot.
- Bring your Nyonya curry paste out of the fridge and let it come up to room temperature somewhat. If you are using a frozen batch you should have defrosted it fully by now. Chuck the paste in the pot too.
- Sauté everything that is in the pot for about 10 minutes. Watch the colour of the Nyonya paste change and the oil start to separate out. See the image below showing the raw paste on the left and the cooked paste on the right. By now your kitchen is smelling amazing :).
- To the pot, add the 1.5kg chicken thigh fillets, pausing to mix them with the spice blend as you go.
- Add the now parboiled potatoes, 10 sprigs of curry leaves and 500ml of coconut milk to the pot and simmer until the potatoes and chicken legs are cooked through.
Serve with lots of your favourite rice. Mine is Basmarti and please don’t tell anyone I use the store bought packets you microwave for 90 seconds.
Thanks Poh,
PK
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How To Make A Nyonya Rempah Paste
This Malaysian curry paste looks hard to make on first glance. After a few goes though you will be able to make it blindfolded and I hope like me you find it an enjoyable process :).
I make it well ahead of time for my favourite south-east Asian curry, a sticky Nyonyan Chicken Curry (see the post here). Please give this paste recipe a try, you won’t be disappointed. The only drawback is that you might not look at store bought pastes in the same light ever again.
Look at the colourful ingredients:
Note:
- All my recipes have their chili quota curbed at my family’s request. I am slowly increasing the amount on the sly so don’t tell them :). Add extra chili for that authentic taste if you can get away with it.
- The paste freezes well.
You will need:
- Ingredients:
- 1 tsp table salt
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 3.5 Tbsp whole coriander seeds
- 1.5 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 1.5 tsp whole fennel seeds
- 1 tsp powdered kashmiri chili (at the minimum)
- 1 Tbsp dried belacan (shrimp paste)*
- 1 Tbsb powdered turmeric
- 3 cloves garlic
- 270g red shallots (sliced)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Note *: I sometimes use a treacle consistency type of belacan but it is so sticky and harder to blend than the dried version.
- Equipment
- a chopping board
- a long sharp knife
- a small bowl
- a small plate
- a wet blender with a very small bowl
- a dry spice mixer or a mortar and pestle
Make the rempah
Steps:
- Bring all of the rempah ingredients together (see What Does Mise en Place Mean?.
- Dry fry the whole spices (3.5 Tbsp whole coriander seeds, 1.5 tsp whole cumin seeds and 1.5 tsp whole fennel seeds).
- Let them cool and add to your spice mill. Mill them in bursts to avoid cooking the spices further in the heat caused by the blades. Keep going until you get a fine powder. Add this powder to your wet mixer and enjoy the aroma.
- Roughly chop the 270g red shallots and 3 garlic cloves and add to the wet mixer.
- I use Sim Seng Lee brand dried belacan (1 Tbsp worth), it stores really well and doesn’t smell out the house! Add it to the wet mixer.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the wet blender (1/3 cup olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp kashmiri chili and 1 Tbsb powdered turmeric).
- Blend to a smooth paste, spoon it into a bowl and place in the fridge.
Better than a store bought paste by a long shot:
Enjoy,
PK
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Curry Leaf Trees
I love curry leaf trees.
The sight and the aroma they release when you brush past them make me smile. They can be hard to find in a nursery and they are not cheap. I got mine from Bunnings as a small seedling.
I am keeping it to less than two meters tall through regular harvesting and pruning. The soil around it drains well and is about 6.5 to 7.0 pH. As you can see, I have removed the lower branches completely and planted other herbs around the base with no problems.
Occasionally, ripe fruit drops and successfully germinates. I transplant these into pots and give them away once they are matured enough.
Edit: I have had my first flowers (4 years in):
I was a bit unsure myself what a sprig of curry leaves is as some of the recipes I use call for 10 sprigs. On the right of the plate below is about 5 sprigs, it seems a lot but trust me it is right. I am yet to ‘over do it’ on the curry leaf front ☺.
Strip the leaves off the twigs and add them as required to the dish If you are wondering, the leaves are safe to eat.
Fresh is best, then refrigerated from your local Asian grocer, then and only then, dried leaves. 🙂
Whenever I ask people if they want some fresh curry leaves from my kitchen garden they mostly ask what you can do with them. If you click on this link you will find a growing list of recipes that use curry leaves.
Enjoy,
PK
Here are some curry leaf and general ingredients posts:
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Curry Leaf Tree (Murraya koenigii)
I love this tree. The sight of it and the smell it releases when you brush past it make me smile. It can be hard to find in a nursery and they are not cheap. I got mine from Bunnings as a small seedling and resisting the temptation to harvest it too early took a lot of will power.
I am keeping it to less than two meters tall by harvesting the sprigs and the odd prune. The soil around it drains well and is about 6.5 to 7.0 pH. As you can see, I have removed the lower branches completely and planted other herbs around the base with no problems. I will try to propagate some of the berries (if I ever get any) so I can share some seedlings. I have read that this plant propagates from ripe fruit only though. I will let you know how I go.
I was a bit unsure myself what a sprig of curry leaves is as some of the recipes I use call for 10 sprigs. On the right of the plate below is about 5 sprigs, it seems a lot but trust me it is right. I am yet to ‘over do it’ on the curry leaf front ☺.
Strip the leaves off the twigs and add them as required to the dish. There is no need to take them out before eating so don’t worry.
Fresh is best, then refrigerated from your local Asian grocer, then and only then, dried.
Whenever I ask people if they want some fresh curry leaves from my kitchen garden they mostly ask what you can do with them. If you click on this link you will find a growing list of recipes that use curry leaves.
Enjoy,
PK
Links:
- see more curry leaf posts here
- go to all ingredients.
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