Indonesian Chicken Curry

During stressful times, we all have our comfort food that helps us relax and breathe a little deeper. I have many different types of comfort dishes that I love to make, and one of them is chicken curry. The action of blending fragrant spices and watching them come together to form a dish is a very calming and satisfying process! Here’s a recipe from a dear Indonesian friend who is an excellent cook. You can adjust the spiciness level by using less chili paste or substituting with large red chilies that are less spicy.

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Indonesian Chicken Curry

Ingredients

• 3 medium potatoes peeled, cut into half
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 Tablespoons chili paste*
• 3 inch galangal** peeled and sliced into 3 pieces
• 2 lemongrass bottom stalks bruised
• 1 kg chicken cut into smaller pieces (2 lbs)
• 8 bunches of curry leaves remove stems
• Salt to taste
• Sugar to taste
• 2 cups coconut cream
• Hot water

Spice Paste

• 14 garlic cloves peeled
• 6 shallots peeled
• 1 Tablespoon coriander seeds
• 2.5 inches fresh turmeric*** peeled
• 2 inch ginger peeled
• 8 candlenuts

Instructions

• In a large wok, add ½ cup of vegetable oil and fry the potatoes over medium high heat until almost golden brown on all sides (about 15 to 20 minutes). Remove and place in a colander to let the oil drain.
• Prepare the paste by pounding or grinding the ingredients together into a thick paste. If you’re pounding by hand, crush the coriander seeds first then add the garlic and shallots, mix well and then add ginger and turmeric. Blend together until smooth and add the candlenuts last. If you’re using a food processor, you can just add all the ingredients together and blend into a thick paste.
• In the same wok you used to fry the potatoes, add the spice paste into the hot oil over medium low heat and fry for 2 minutes. Then add 3 tablespoons of chili paste (if you’re using). Fry them together for until minute or so until the oil separates from the spices and becomes very fragrant.
• Add the galangal pieces and lemongrass stalks. Add 1 Tablespoon of sugar and about ½ cup of water and fry until it becomes a thick paste.
• Add the chicken pieces and stir them together with the paste. Cover and let it cook for 2 minutes. Uncover and had 2 cups of hot water and curry leaves, cover and cook on medium-low heat for 15 minutes. Add the cooked potatoes and check on the chicken. Let it cook a few more minutes longer if the pieces are still raw.
• Uncover and add 2 cups of coconut cream and 1 cup of hot water. Mix and slowly bring to a slow boil at a medium-low simmer. Add salt to taste. Simmer for another 3 minutes. Enjoy with rice, roti prata, or crusty French loaf!

Notes

*If chili paste is unavailable, add fresh red chili (to taste) in the spice paste. Small Thai chilies for a spicier curry, or large red chilies for a milder one.

**If fresh galangal is unavailable, substitute with 3 teaspoons of galangal powder, or fresh ginger.

***If fresh turmeric is unavailable, substitute with 2 teaspoons turmeric powder.