Kari Kapitan

Kari Kapitan served with fried rice and spicy vege

For the nyonyas in Penang, this chicken curry is what they are proud of!  My mom cooks this curry once a year during the eve of Chinese New Year for the family reunion dinner. This recipe is taken from Nonya Flavours cookbook.  The ones that my mom cooks according to my sista is the Portugese version, I would one fine day post that version but for today, its this yummy version from Nonya Flavours! And when I tell my mom about this version, she says that this is the one that her mom, my grandma cooks!
Ingredients :
1 kg meaty chicken pieces (lazy cook uses about 8 pieces of chicken thighs, no mess in chopping up those chicken)
1 tbsp tumeric powder
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1 cup oil, for deep frying
2 onions, skinned, halved and sliced (omitted this cos hubby hates the sight of onions)

1 cup thick coconut milk (from 1 grated coconut)
1 tbsp finely shredded kaffir lime leaves
1 tbsp brown sugar/palm sugar
2 tbsp lime juice

Spice Paste :
350 gm (20-30) shallots
10 gm (2 cloves) garlic
20 gm (2 cm) ginger
20 gm (2 cm) galangal
10 gm (1 cm) tumeric
10 gm (3) candlenuts (lazy cook uses almond powder)
50 gm (2 stalks) lemongrass
75 gm (6) fresh red chillies
20 gm (10) dried chillies
20 gm belacan, toasted
5 gm (8-10) bird's eye chillies (optional)

Garnish (Optional) :
2 tbsp shallot crisps
2 sprigs mint leaves

Marinate the chicken pieces with turmeric powder and salt overnight.  Lazy cook just marinate for 30 minutes cos forget this step.  Deep fry the chicken in hot oil till golden, drain and set aside.
For the spice paste, lazy cook uses a mix of onions and shallots because shallots are expensive.  Lazy cook uses dry ginger powder, dry galangal powder, dry turmeric powder, almond powder instead of candlenuts, dry lemongrass powder, dry chilli powder and a squirt of harissa (Tunisian chilli paste).  In a blender, I blend the onions, garlic and belacan, then I mix the dry spice into the onion paste to get my spice paste.
Heat half of the frying oil in a wok to saute the spice paste till fragrant.  Add the chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes over medium flame.
Add the coconut milk (lazy cook uses canned), lime leaves (lazy cook uses frozen) and brown sugar.  Simmer till chicken is tender. Add the lime juice and mix well.
Dish onto servicng plate and garnish with shallot crisps and/or mint leaves.  Serve with bread or rice.