Fried chicken with curry sauce

Everyone must have eaten curry chicken. Imagine how good it would be to fry red curry paste with diced potatoes and chicken and serve it over rice.  But have you ever eaten fried chicken with curry sauce?

Today, I'm going to make two small adjustments to the traditional recipe. First, my chicken is large in size rather than bite-sized. Second, I fry the chicken before I cook the chicken with the curry paste. In fact, I got inspired by this idea from a restaurant. This fried chicken curry is packed with flavours and the shallow frying of chicken gives a texture to the curry.

For this curry chicken, I'm using the entire chicken leg. It will take a very long time to fully cook the chicken leg. By dividing the chicken leg into the drumstick and the thigh, the cooking time can be reduced greatly. I deep-fried the drumstick and thigh for this curry chicken recipe to achieve gorgeous golden skin and shorten the time the chicken would need to cook in the curry sauce later.

I'm aware that curry chicken is frequently made with premade curry paste these days. The making of the curry paste is a time-consuming process in the preparation of curry chicken.

I know nowadays people tend to buy readymade curry paste for cooking curry chicken. When it comes to making curry chicken, a time-consuming process is making the curry paste. There are quite a lot of them, with varieties that are specific to different regions in the country. Sometimes it is hard to find the pack with the right flavour until you have tried it.

Curry paste seems to be a bit of a mystery, their flavours are complex in terms of the types of ingredients to use. And making curry paste from scratch is a project. Just put it this way, making your own curry paste is just like making your own jam. Sounds better!!!

Is it hard to make curry paste?

Curry paste is absolutely one of those flavor-boosting ingredients that are well worth making yourself. And it is not difficult to do. Just simply bringing together a combination of aromatics, chilies, and dried spices, then crushing them into a paste. Traditionally, this step is done via a mortar and pestle (I am still using it), now you can do It with the food processor.

Type of milk to use for curry chicken

Malaysian curry always cooks with coconut milk because it gives the curry much more depth and richness and adds a sweetness to the curry that counteracts the spice, creating a nice balance. You may use fresh coconut milk or store-bought.

If you do not like coconut milk, you could use either soy milk or almond milk as alternatives, make sure to choose an unsweetened or unflavoured version.

 

How to thicken the curry?

Some people prefer to eat dry curry chicken, leaving the chicken and potatoes well coated with a flavourful sauce. Some people prefer the gravy-like sauces to be served over rice or with bread. I am using candlenuts with my curry chicken to thicken the sauce.

Candlenuts, known in Malay as buah keras, is used to thicken sauces in traditional Asian dishes, mostly in Malaysia and Indonesia. This is particularly useful if you're making a dry curry chicken dish.

 

What does coriander powder do to a curry?

Coriander powder is frequently used in south Indian cooking and is a crucial component of many curries and gravies due to its pleasant aroma, which stimulates the appetite.

Are you drooling? Let us get all the ingredients to hand and detailed instructions to make this delicious curry chicken.

 

INGREDIENTS (Curry paste)

6 small shallots, peeled and cut into small pieces

1 whole head of garlic

2-inch size of slice ginger

5 pcs dried chillies (trim and cut into 2-3 pcs. Boil in hot water until soft and drained)

2 pcs fresh chillies

1-inch size of fresh turmeric, sliced

60g fresh galangal, sliced

10 pcs of kaffir lime leaves

1 stalk of lemongrass (bottom part), sliced

 

METHOD

1. In a food processor, combine all the ingredients and process them into an almost smooth paste. Or you may pound it with a mortar and pestle until smooth.

2. Heat up the oil in a wok, add the blended chilli paste into the oil and sauté until aromatic over low heat for 30 minutes or until the chilli paste starts to glisten and split and you can see an oily firm separate from the paste itself. If the paste starts to turn thick halfway cook, add some water, and continue to cook.

NOTE: The paste can be stored in the fridge for 1 week or in the freezer for 1 month.

 

 

INGREDIENTS (Curry chicken)    

A

4 chicken legs

400g potatoes, cut into chunks

200ml thick coconut milk

B

150g shallots

80g garlic

2 candle nuts

C

3 tbsp curry powder

2 tbsp chilli paste

2 tbsp sugar

½ tbsp coriander powder

3 stalks of curry leaves

1 cup water

Salt to taste

METHOD

1. In a food processor, blend ingredients (A) until there are no more big chunks.

2.  Cut the chicken leg into two parts, which are the drumstick and the thigh.

3. Fried the chicken in a wok and fry the chicken until a nice golden skin and 50% cooked.

4. Mix ingredients B and C in a wok. Add ½ cup oil and saute the ingredients (A) until fragrant.

5. Add in the fried chicken, stir fry well and pour in water till ingredients are totally immersed. Cover the wok and bring it to a boil, and then lower the heat, add in the potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken until cooked.

6. Stir in thick coconut milk and salt to taste. Remove and serve hot.

 

NOTE: There are many ways to prepare curry chicken. This is the most common method of preparation.