I really miss Indonesian, Singaporean and Malaysian food. It basically doesn’t exist in the Bay Area. I started reading Bee’s Rasa Malaysia blog for recipes. I think I originally found it looking for a rendang recipe but subscribed. It’s actually a little disappointing because it’s largely Thai or Chinese recipes, and too many competitions and not enough recipes. But last week there was a Malaysian chicken curry recipe, so I made that.
I used some special Malaysian curry powder that my dad brought from Australia, but the recipe was basically the same as Bee’s.
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 oz / 26 g Malaysian curry powder
- 1.5 lb chicken breast, chopped into 1 – 1.5 inch pieces
- 3 cups water
- 1 tomato, cut into wedges
- 2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- 1/2 – 2/3 cup coconut milk
- salt
- steamed rice to serve
- Heat the oil until hot, add the onions and fry until fragrant.
- Add the curry powder, stir for 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken, stir well for 1 minute.
- Add the water and bring to a boil.
- Lower to a simmer and add the tomato, potatoes and eggs.
- Cover and simmer for 30-45 mins – until the chicken is cooked and tender.
- Add the coconut milk and salt to taste. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Serve with rice.
This quite liquid, not thick like a Thai or Indian curry. It soaks into steamed rice wonderfully.
A friend of mine who grew up in Malaysia and lives in SF says Banana Island in Daly City (Westlake area) is the closest thing to the real deal that you’ll find in the Bay Area. I’ve been once and enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t know authentic Malaysian cuisine from something else.
This looks pretty great and I will have to try it some time.
I have a monster Rendang recipe, with a list of good substitutions if you can’t get buffalo meat, tamarind, and a couple of other ingredients. Also a Singapore (not Assam/Penang yuck!) laksa recipe that is crazy flexible (as it should be). Let me know!