Celebration Dry Chicken Curry Recipe


By Datuk Faridah Begum
The Star/Asia News Network
Malaysia, June 8, 2011

WADING into untried territory - that was how I felt when I was told I would be transferred to Sunday Metro in July 2007. After almost 20 years of journalism, it was daunting because I had all the while been mainly a news writer.

What was more worrying was the fact that every story was done on the spur of the moment, and we were required to fill up 12 pages every Sunday.

But after a fortnight of charting unknown waters, with the then editor T. Selva informing the three writers (angels, we were called) - Sangeeta Nair, Renita Che Wan and me - that he was going on long leave, we were entrusted to plan the pullout ourselves. And what fun we had, along with our sub-editor Catherine Siow and Penang-based food columnist Helen Ong.



The three years I spent on this pullout was an eye-opener of not only the new things we could learn but also an acid test of what all of us could do. It became a show of our individual strengths that we could put the pullout together from scratch every single week.

Sunday Metro launched my career as a food columnist and cook, and I am thankful to all the readers whose letters, comments and criticism built up my confidence in this field.

The greatest treasure that I gained from Sunday Metro is the fact that I inspired so many people to start cooking and enjoying it at the same time.

This is the last issue and for it I have specially concocted recipes to celebrate Sunday Metro for the icon it has been these four years.

Thank you, Sunday Metro, for all the good you have brought to me!

Celebration Dry Chicken Curry Recipe

Ingredients

1 chicken, cut into 12 or 16 pieces
1 pod garlic
8cm ginger
½ cup cashewnuts or almonds – soaked and blended into a thick paste
2 large onions – cut into thin rings
½ cup vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
3 cardamoms
2 star anise
3 cloves
2 pandan leaves – washed and tied together
2 tablespoons meat curry powder
½ cup coconut cream and 1/2 cup evaporated milk (or a cup of either)
2 cups water
3 large tomatoes, cut into 6 wedges each
4 large red chillies – halved and seeded
Coriander leaves – chopped (as desired)
Salt to taste

Methods

1) Blend the garlic and ginger together into a paste. In a large wok, heat the vegetable oil and add the cinnamon stick, cardamom, star anise and cloves.

2) Add the pandan leaves and onions and fry until fragrant and the onions are soft.

3) Put in the curry powder, cashewnut or almond paste along with the ginger-garlic paste. Reduce the heat, and stir until the oil surfaces. Add the chicken pieces and stir fry to coat them with the paste.

4) When the chicken turns opaque, pour in the cream and milk, water and tomatoes.

5) Cover and simmer until chicken is almost cooked. Remove the cover, raise the heat a little and let the liquid evaporate to a desired consistency.

6) Season and throw in the chopped coriander, mix and serve with hot rice.