Friday, September 18, 2009

Singapore Chicken Curry


I tried cooking Singapore Chicken Curry from scratch today. I must say that after 2 attempts, the taste and consistency has really improved. This dish is pretty time-consuming and not that straight-forward. One needs quite a bit of try-and-error, even when following recipe. Hope that I can cook this dish with my eyes closed after 10 attempts!

A) Make the curry powder
120 grams ground coriander
1 teaspoon freshly grounded black peppercorns
100 grams ground cumin
50 grams ground anise
3 tablespoons turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
some cloves (grounded)
1 teaspoon cardamom (grounded)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Combine the spices and dry-fry in a wok over low heat, stirring constantly so the spices do not burn. Fry them for eight to 10 minutes, or just until they begin to brown and are fragrant.

2. Remove from the wok to cool. The blend will keep for several months stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

B) Make the curry
A little fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
7 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
5 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
100grams Singapore curry powder
250 grams water
1 whole chicken, cut into different parts
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 can of coconut milk
tomato paste
candlenuts
curry leaves
some water
some potatoes, peeled, halved and boiled
salt to taste (if needed)
1 loaf French bread, cut into serving slices
Papadoms (easily available at Asian stores)
Roti Prata (I used the frozen ones)

1. Mix the curry powder with a cup of water, mix it and rub it all over the chicken pieces. Marinate at least half an hour or overnight for a stronger taste.

2. Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. The oil should be very hot.

3. Add the ginger, garlic, shallots and onion. Pan fry until its a bit brown. Add remaining curry paste and fry for three to four minutes, or until paste is fragrant and turns a rich, dark brown.

4. Add the marinated chicken and reduce heat to medium, stirring constantly for about 10 minutes, or until spices are cooked.

5. Add the coconut milk, tomato paste, candlenuts and curry leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn down the heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes, or until chicken is tender.

6. A few minutes before serving, add in the boiled potatoes.

7. Taste and season with salt. At this point, add in chilli powder / freshly grinded small chilli.

8. Adjust the taste of the gravy by adding chilli for a spicier version / more water for more sauce or letting the sauce simmer with opened lid if its too thin.

9. Serve with jasmine rice/ French loaf / Papadoms / Roti Prata.

Note: This dish is better the second day.

3 comments:

Beau Lotus 涟 said...

Pris ah, if this is the same curry you're working on it looks very red already what.

Pris said...

Hey shifu.
It looks red because I added like super a lot of tomato paste and some red curry powder (leftover from Prima taste). But the redness still doesn´t seem to come out as much as yours. Did you add a lot more oil? I find the "oil" parts are the "red" parts.

I tried to cook it a second time and someone it wasn´t as red as the first time.

Beau Lotus 涟 said...

Yes, it comes from the oil. I've discovered that watching the Indian ladies here cook curry. They use alot of oil and really cook the spices till the oil separates from the rest. We are more health conscious and cannot achieve the same effect.

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