Mama Chen’s Chicken Curry

 

mama chen’s chicken curry

mama chen’s chicken curry is my childhood comfort food.

Makes 4 servings

chicken curry

Ingredients:

  • 8 pieces of bone in thighs

  • 1/3 yellow onions medium size, large dice

  • 1 medium size shallots

  • 1/6 piece ginger, from a medium size, skin off, thinly slice

  • 3 cloves of garlic, skin and stems remove

  • 1 tsp ground cumin

  • 1 tbsp curry powder

  • 1 tsp turmeric powder

  • 1 tsp coriander powder ground

  • 4 pieces of kaffir lime leaves

  • 2/3 whole stalk of lemon grass, pounded and cut into 3 segments

  • 1 cup pineapple juice

  • 1 whole lime, all juice

  • 1 whole lime zest, microplane

  • salt and pepper, season to taste

  • 1 tbsp brown sugar

  • 6 tbsp canola oil

  • 1/4 tsp cloves ground

  • 1/4 tsp chili flakes

  • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds

  • 1.6 cup of coconut milk or 400 ml

  • 2/3 cup plum tomato

  • 6 pieces of small Yukon gold potatoes

  • 1tbsp tomato paste

Instructions:

  • heat a pan on high heat, add in 3 tbsp of canola oil

  • season the chicken with salt and pepper

  • heat pan till light smoke appear

  • add in chicken on the skin side down

  • sear on medium heat till light golden brown on both sides

  • set the chicken aside from the heat

  • in a food processor, chop up ginger, shallots, onion and garlic

  • heat up a heavy bottom pot, add 3 tbsp of oil

  • lightly toast all the spices for 10 seconds, add in chopped up garlic, onion, ginger and shallots

  • cook for 1 minute, add in lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves

  • add in pineapple juice, lime juice, zest, brown sugar, coconut milk, plum tomato, tomato paste

  • add in chicken, skim as much of the fat as possible from the chicken. Discard the fat but add in the left over pan juice

  • put lid on and simmer for about 30 minutes on low heat

  • taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper

  • pierce the potato with a pairing knife to check for doneness

rice

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup jasmine rice

  • 3/4 cup coconut cream

  • 1.25 cup water

  • 4 pieces of kaffir lime leaves

  • 1/3 stalk of lemon grass, pounded

  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions:

  • rinse rice till water runs clear

  • drain the rice to remove all water

  • add in all the rest of ingredients into a pot

  • stir the rice to evenly distribute the seasoning

  • bring it to a boil, cover with a lid

  • turn the heat to a gentle simmer

  • simmer till no liquid left, about 20 minutes

  • turn heat off, let sit for 20 minutes

  • open the lid, remove lime leaves, lemon grass

  • fluff the rice up with a fork, serve warm with curry chicken

Snap Pea Garnish

Ingredients:

  • snap peas 12 pieces, stems removed

  • 3 tbsp of kosher salt

  • 3 litre of water

Instructions:

  • bring water to a boil

  • blanch snap peas for 1 minute

  • remove and shock in ice water for 2 minutes

To Serve

Fill a small bowl or ramekin with coconut jasmine rice. Serve 2 pieces of chicken and several pieces of potatoes on the plate. Ladle sauces over the chicken. Serve with cilantro on the rice and snap peas on the chicken