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Chicken Curry Kapitan

Name: Chicken Curry Kapitan
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1/4 cup cooking oil; 10-12 chicken drumsticks (Note 1); 8 kaffir lime leaves; 2 cups water; 200 ml (half a can) coconut milk; 300 gram (10 oz), peeled and cut into wedges (Note 2); 2 teaspoon salt; 2 teaspoon sugar; 2 teaspoon fish sauce; juice of 1 lime, or to taste; 25 dried red chilies, remove seeds and soaked in boiling water until softened; 100 gram shallot; 20 gram garlic; 1 inch ginger; 1 inch galangal; 3 lemongrass, white parts only; 4 candlenuts; 1/2 cup water

Last updated: Dec 7, 2020 — Published: May 30, 2017 — By: Anita — 20 comments

Malaysian chicken curry Kapitan is a rich, spicy, and savory coconut milk chicken curry with potatoes. Serve with rice, roti, or naan bread to soak up all the sauce.

My fondest memory of my time in Malaysia often includes food. It was the first time I left home, and the only thing I could properly cook was some instant noodles!

I was thinking of learning to cook, but my Mom, who has always been great at budgeting, did a quick calculation and pointedly said that eating out every day was cheaper. So I went on a happy eating adventure for one and a half years. ;)

I end up with a big love for Malaysian food, and if curries are a food group, that would be my all-time favorite. There are a dizzying array of curries to choose from, from Chinese style to Malay and Indian curries. One of my favorites is this Chicken Curry Kapitan.

Ingredients for Malaysian chicken curry Kapitan: chicken drumsticks and thighs, potatoes, garlic, shallot, ginger, galangal, candlenuts, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, dried red chilies, coconut milk, fish sauce, turmeric, salt, sugar, and lime juice.

Ingredients for chicken curry Kapitan

Like Indonesian dishes, it is also very typical for Malaysian dishes to have a long list of spices in the recipe.

For this dish, we will need bone-in chicken, potatoes, garlic, shallot, ginger, galangal, candlenuts, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, dried red chilies, coconut milk, fish sauce, turmeric, salt, sugar, and lime juice.

Chicken

You can use a whole chicken, cut up into 8-12 pieces. I usually either go with 10-12 chicken drumsticks or 4-5 chicken quarters separated into thighs and drumsticks.

Potatoes

Please choose potatoes that are suitable for braising since they don’t fall apart and turn into mush. Waxy potatoes/boiling potatoes, such as red potatoes, new potatoes, fingerlings, and Yukon Gold, are all great choices. Avoid Russet potatoes for stewing/braising purposes.

How to cook chicken curry Kapitan

1. Grind spice paste

Use a food processor/blender to grind chilies, shallot, garlic, ginger, galangal, lemongrass, candlenuts, and water into a smooth spice paste.

2. Fry spice paste

Heat spice paste and turmeric over medium heat in a wok until slightly dry. Add cooking oil and mix well. Cook until the oil starts to separate from the spice.

3. Add chicken

Add chicken into the wok and stir. Add kaffir lime leaves and water, mix well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

4. Add the remaining ingredients

Stir in coconut milk into the wok. Add potatoes, and season with salt, sugar, and fish sauce. Continue simmering for 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and become thick.

5. Add lime juice and serve

Add lime juice, stir and cook for another minute. Adjust the seasonings if needed. Turn off the heat, transfer the dish to a serving bowl, and serve immediately.

Add lime juice at the end of the cooking, and serve the curry with steamed rice, Indian roti, or naan bread.

Serving and storing

Since this is a Malaysian dish, you can eat this chicken curry Kapitan with steamed white rice or your favorite roti or naan bread. The sauce is to die for, so mop up every single last drop and lick the plate clean.

Like most curries, the flavor improves with age, so if you have the patience to wait for a day or two before serving the curry, you will end up with a more flavorful dish.

I usually store the dish in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat it as necessary in a microwave for about 1 minute.