Malaysian Chicken Curry
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- More effort
- Serves 6
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 1kg chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp groundnut oil
- 2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 kaffir lime leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 star anise
- 400ml coconut milk
- 100ml chicken stock
- 1 tsp palm sugar (or soft brown sugar)
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 400g green beans, trimmed and cut into 5cm lengths
- Handful of coriander leaves, roughly torn
FOR THE CURRY PASTE:
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 or 5 long, red chillies, trimmed, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 3 lemon grass stalks, trimmed with the outer leaves removed and thinly sliced
- 5cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
- 4 large shallots, peeled and chopped
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 or 3 tbsp groundnut oil
FOR THE COCONUT RICE:
- 300g jasmine, Thai fragrant or other long-grain rice
- 200ml coconut milk
- 5 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled
- Pinch of sea salt
Method
- STEP 1First make the curry paste. Put the garlic, chillies, lemon grass, ginger, shallots and turmeric in a food processor and whiz to a paste. With the motor running, trickle in a little groundnut oil and blend well, scraping the sides of the processor several times. (Or you can pound the ingredients together in batches using a pestle and mortar).
- STEP 2To make the curry, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Heat the groundnut oil in a large cast-iron casserole or heavy-based pan. Tip in the curry paste and stir over a medium heat for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until they are beginning to soften.
- STEP 3Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add to the pan and stir to coat them in the spice paste. Add the lime leaves, cinnamon stick, star anise, coconut milk, stock, sugar, soy and fish sauces and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently for 30 to 40 minutes until the chicken is tender.
- STEP 4For the rice, rinse the grains in cold water to get rid of any excess starch. Drain and tip into a heavy-based pan. Add the rest of the ingredients with 200ml water, stir well and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and gently simmer for 10 minutes. Leaving the lid on, remove the pan from the heat and leave to stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve while still hot.
- STEP 5Skim off any excess oil on the surface of the curry. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Tip in the beans, put the lid on and cook for another 3 or 4 minutes until the beans are tender. Scatter the coriander leaves over the curry and serve with the coconut rice.
