Dada Cooking

Recipes / Malaysian

Malaysian

Kari Ayam (Malaysian Chicken Curry)

Fry whole spices, curry leaves and a shallot, garlic and curry powder paste until the oil separates, then simmer bone-in chicken and potatoes with coconut milk; about 1 hour 10 minutes for 6.

Kari ayam is the everyday Malaysian chicken curry: bone-in chicken and potatoes simmered in a coconut gravy built on meat curry powder, whole spices and curry leaves. It is the curry you pour over rice, dip roti canai into, or serve with roti jala at a kenduri.

Kari ayam: chicken and potato curry with curry leaves in a white bowl, with a plate of white rice Start cooking mode

Ingredients

Spice paste

  • 8 shallots, peeled
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2.5 cm (1 in) piece ginger, peeled
  • 1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, sliced
  • 4 tbsp meat curry powder
  • 1 tbsp chilli powder, or to taste

Curry

  • 60 ml (1/4 cup) cooking oil
  • 1 cinnamon stick, about 5 cm (2 in)
  • 3 star anise
  • 4 cloves
  • 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
  • 2 sprigs curry leaves
  • 1.2 kg bone-in chicken pieces, skin removed
  • 500 g potatoes, peeled and quartered
  • 500 ml (2 cups) water
  • 2 tomatoes, quartered
  • 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) coconut milk
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
  • 1 tsp sugar

Method

  1. Blend the shallots, garlic, ginger and lemongrass with 3 tbsp water until smooth. Stir in the curry powder and chilli powder with 4 tbsp water to make a thick paste.
  2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Fry the cinnamon, star anise, cloves and cardamom for 1 minute until fragrant, then add the curry leaves for a few seconds.
  3. Add the spice paste and fry, stirring often, for 8–10 minutes until it darkens and the oil separates. Add a splash of water if it starts to catch.
  4. Add the chicken and stir for 3 minutes until every piece is coated. Add the potatoes and water, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
  5. Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, salt and sugar. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the chicken and potatoes are tender and the gravy has thickened slightly.
  6. Taste and adjust the salt. Rest for 10 minutes off the heat, then serve with rice, roti canai or roti jala.

Tips

  • Tanpa santan (no coconut milk): replace the coconut milk with 200 ml evaporated milk, or leave it out and add 150 ml more water for a lighter curry.
  • Curry powder: use a meat curry powder (for chicken and meat), not a fish curry powder, which is blended for seafood.
  • Thicker gravy: simmer uncovered for an extra 10 minutes; the potatoes also thicken it as they break down.
  • Storage: keeps for 3 days in the refrigerator. Freeze without the potatoes, which turn grainy when frozen.

Questions

What curry powder should I use for kari ayam?

Use a meat curry powder, which is blended for chicken and meat. Fish curry powder has a different spice balance and is meant for seafood.

Can I make kari ayam without coconut milk?

Yes. Use evaporated milk instead, or leave it out and add a little more water for a lighter, clearer curry.

How do I know the spice paste is cooked?

Fry it until it darkens, smells toasty rather than raw, and the oil separates from the paste. This takes 8 to 10 minutes and gives the curry its depth.

What do you serve with kari ayam?

Steamed rice, roti canai or roti jala are the classic partners, with a simple vegetable side.

Is this kari ayam halal?

The recipe is pork-free and lists no alcohol. It is not halal-certified: use halal-certified chicken and check that the curry powder and coconut milk carry halal certification.

A Dada Cooking original recipe. Quantities are metric first, with US amounts in brackets.