Never heard of kari ayam? Time to change that. It’s addictive. Think curry flavours with even more flavours. Coconut milk. Haunting notes from star anise. And lemongrass to really mix things up. Puts a smile on your face and a glow in your stomach.
Kari Ayam is Indian meets Thailand
I’m probably going to get in trouble for saying this. But to me it, kari ayam has many of the flavours of a South Indian curry. Coconut milk. Check. Curry leaves. Check. Garlic and ginger. Check. Big spices. Check. But then you add lemongrass. A bit of fish sauce. Star anise. You might not think that changes everything. But it does. Just like that. Amazing.
Malaysian curry chicken needs the right curry powder
I know. I know. Curry powder? Who uses that? How can this be a serious recipe if it calls for curry powder? Trust me. Kari ayam is best with a Malaysian blend. Don’t substitute the electric yellow stuff that you get at the grocery store. That’s just wrong. Malaysian curry chicken uses meat curry powder. That’s what it’s called. Meat curry powder. Malays use it. And so do I. Because it works. Because it’s delicious. I use Babahs’ brand. Not because I have tried every Malaysian curry powder in the world. But because a Malay foodie friend told me to use it. And I can get it. Shopping for Malaysian is not easy where I live… There are other brands. Probably not a lot different. So if you can find something from Malaysia go for it.
Cook your potatoes separately
You don’t have to do this. But I do. And I do it because I don’t like overdone chicken. Once you put potatoes into a dish you wait for potatoes to be done. Some days that takes too long. And that means overdone chicken. The dark meat used here is more forgiving than white. But even still. Overdone is overdone. Not good. So I cook the potatoes separately. Not completely. But most of the way. And I save the water. There’s starch in the water. And that thickens the curry a bit. So I use it instead of stock.
Kari Ayam doesn’t need to be mild
A lot of Malaysian curry chicken recipes are pretty tame. Maybe that’s a bit overstated. Maybe not though. This version has a bit of bite. It’s not blow a hole in the back of your head hot. Not even close. But it does have a little zing. Unless you start adding Kashmiri chili powder. Then it gets spicy. There’s more spice. A lot more spice. I use 5 tablespoons of curry powder. Seem like a lot? Not to me. It takes a lot to give it the big flavours I want. You could probably add more…
This is a saucy curry
Don’t think this is one of those lush Indian curries. Kari Ayam is a saucy curry. Almost soupy. Like laksa. So make sure there’s a spoon on the table. To get every last drop. Because if you don’t people are going to pick up their bowls and lick them. Which is flattering. But not very elegant. Malaysian curry chicken. It’s for when you want something a little different. But still magically delicious.
