Here’s another Singaporean treat from Singapore Cooking by Terry Tan and Christopher Tan. Yeah, there are tons of chicken curry recipes floating around the world’s kitchens, but this one is certainly different from your typical Thai chicken curry (which, of course, is really good), with it’s unique spice paste. The fried potato chunks are also a welcome addition. Oh, and the ground cumin, cloves, fennel and cardamom make for a nice background flavor.
One thing that’s funny about the instructions is them calling for washing and drying the chicken. Modern advice is to never do this, as it is likely to spread bacteria around the kitchen. It’s best to ensure that the chicken is fully cooked to kill any bacteria, and to thoroughly wash knives and cutting boards used when cutting up raw chicken.
What you’ll need:
For the chicken:
- 1 chicken cut into 10 pieces, or the equivalent amount of chicken pieces (I used boneless thighs)
- 5T oil—this seemed like a ton of oil, and I got by just fine with 3T
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 3 cups coconut milk
- 1t salt
- 1t sugar
For the spice paste:
- 1 small onion, sliced, or 2 medium shallots
- 3 slices peeled ginger
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 2T ground coriander
- 1T ground cumin
- 1t ground fennel
- 2t ground red pepper
- 1t turmeric
- 0.5t cinnamon
- 0.5t ground cloves
- 0.5t ground cardamom
What to do:
Grind the spice paste ingredients in a food processor. Add a bit of water if things are too dry.
Heat the oil in a large frypan or wok over medium heat. When the oil is hot, carefully add the potatoes, turning them until they become slightly browned—about 5-10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon or tongs and set aside.
Add the spice paste to the remaining hot oil and stir fry for about 6 minutes, until fragrant.
Add the chicken pieces and stir well to coat them with the spice paste. Now add the coconut milk, salt, sugar, and potatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook partially covered until the chicken is cooked through. Depending on the size of the chicken pieces, this could take up to 45 minutes.
Serve hot over rice or Asian noodles
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