Chicken and Potato Curry

Staying abroad these past few years, I have come to miss the Chicken Curry in Singapore, particularly the home-cooked ones that my mum used to make. As a child, I remember her spending hours chopping the fresh ingredients (fresh and dried chillies, onions or shallots, lemon grass, tamarind and so on), and thereafter blending them in a food processor or pounding the ingredients into a curry paste using a granite mortar and pestle.

Being lazy, I was hoping to find a suitable pre-made curry paste at the stores, so that I would not have to go through the hassle of pounding or grinding the ingredients myself! Fortunately, I found Yeo’s Singapore Curry Sauce and the Ayam Malaysian Noya Curry paste from Woolworths Supermarket. Even though I am not a fan of processed food, I nevertheless thought that their flavours were amazing! If you cannot find these same ones, try looking for similar products that are described as Noya (or Peranakan) Curry on their labels. These are the ones that will give those beautiful South East Asian flavours to your curries.

Curry paste and sauce used in the recipe.

The following recipe is easy to follow and hassle free – very suitable for someone who does not have very much time to cook, or dislikes spending too much time cleaning up in the kitchen. It may not be the best curry recipe but it is definitely a dish that I can work and improve upon quite easily.

Have fun trying this out and enjoy your home-cooked curry dish!

Recipe for the Chicken and Potato Curry (serves 4 persons):

Chicken and potato curry served with Jasmine rice.

Ingredients:

Chicken thigh meat (about 4 to 5 large pieces)

½ - 1 tablespoon salt (or season according to your preference)

½ tablespoon black pepper powder

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3 to 4 strips dried red chilli (chopped finely)

Oil for cooking

1 large brown onion (chopped)

1 tablespoon of garlic (chopped)

4 large potatoes (peeled and cut into quarters)

Ayam Malaysian Noya Curry Paste (2 tablespoons full)

Yeo’s Singapore Curry Sauce (400ml)

About 250 – 300 ml of water (add less water if you prefer a thicker curry sauce)

Coconut milk (165ml)

2 tablespoons sugar

Procedure:

1. Marinate the chicken thigh pieces with salt, black pepper, sesame oil and the dried red chilli in a large bowl.

2. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and leave the marinated chicken meat in the fridge for at least an hour.

3. Heat up a non-stick cooking wok and grease it well with cooking oil. Add the chopped onions and cook them over medium heat till they turn fragrant. Add the chopped garlic and cook it for a short while before adding the marinated chicken thighs into the wok. Turn the heat up to high and add in the potatoes.

4. Once the meat has turned slightly brown and become aromatic, stir in the Ayam Noya curry paste and mix well. Be careful not to overcook the chicken meat at this stage.

5. Add the Yeo’s curry sauce and water into the wok. Stir well and bring the curry mixture to a boil before reducing it to low heat. Cook the curry mixture for about 40 minutes.

6. Add the coconut milk and sugar into the curry mixture and bring it to a boil before simmering for another 20 minutes over low heat. Add more water if the curry gravy is too thick.

7. Turn the heat off from the stove. Garnish the chicken and potato curry with fresh mint leaves and serve with warm jasmine rice.

Enjoy!!!