A lovely Javanese Chicken Curry, finished with a coconut paste to thicken. This chicken curry works best if you can find tougher chicken: most chicken I can find is too tender and easily becomes too dry.
Gulai Ayam (Hot Javanese Curried Chicken)
A lovely Javanese Chicken Curry, finished with a coconut paste to thicken. This chicken curry works best if you can find tougher chicken: most chicken I can find is too tender and easily becomes too dry.
Servings: 6 servings
Equipment
- Wok
- Mortar and Pestle, Food Processor, or Blender
Ingredients
Spice Blend
- 6 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 inch gingerroot chopped
- 4 ea chilies chopped
- 4 ea candlenuts
- 1 tsp coriander ground
- ½ tsp turmeric ground
- 1 tsp lime rind grated
- 2 ea cloves whole
Frying
- 6 medium shallots finely chopped
- 2 tbsp peanut oil
Thickening Agent
- 2 oz coconut desiccated, unsweetened
- 1 tbsp lime juice
Instructions
- Put the sauce ingredients with some coconut milk and blend into a paste.In a small pan, over low heat, without oil, brown the coconut, stirring continuously.Grind the coconut to a paste in a pestle and mortar.
- Put the peanut oil in the pan and stir fry the shallots until softened.Add the spice paste, the lemon rind (or lemon grass), cloves, and cinnamon. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes.Add the chicken pieces and coat them with the spice mixture. Fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk, bring to a gentle boil.Reduce the heat to a very low simmer and cook very gently until the chicken is tender (45-60 minutes).
- Stir the coconut paste into the chicken.Add the lemon or lime juice.
Notes
Based on a recipe from Indonesian Cookery by David Scott with Surya Winata : p. 98