Malaysian Chicken Curry

In Malaysia, curries are made using pre-packed curry powders. Usually, ‘chicken curry powder’ is used to make chicken and mutton (goat) curry while ‘fish curry powder’ is used to make seafood curries. Even though these pre-packed curry powders contain all the necessary spices, I prefer to add some more spices to obtain the balance that I like. Adding almond meal makes the curry creamy, more suited to the Australian tastes. We Asians prefer out curries spicier and less creamy.

I have cooked this chicken curry without tasting it (I’m a vegetarian) and it has turned out superbly every time.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small stick of cinnamon
2 star anises
3 cloves
3 cardamom pods
1 medium-sized onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 cup water or to cover the chicken while cooking
2 chicken thighs
2 medium-sized potatoes
2 tablespoon of Malaysia chicken curry powder (from Asian stores, I prefer Baba's brand)
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon chili powder (add more if you prefer more heat in your curry)
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
2 tablespoons almond meal


Preparation 

1. Chicken: Clean and cut the chicken tights into medium-sized pieces.
2. Potatoes: Peel and quarter the potatoes.
3. Onion: Chop into 0.5cm pieces.
4. Garlic: Chop finely.

Cooking

1. Cinnamon stick, cardamom, star anise, cloves & vegetable oil: Heat the oil in a pot and add the spices. Cook for about one minute, remove them from the oil and then discard them. The spices are used to flavour the oil and add a very lovely aroma to the curry.
2. Onion & garlic: Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook another minute.
3. Chicken: Add the chicken thigh pieces to the pot and stir to brown them, about 2 minutes.
4. Chicken curry power, cumin and coriander powder, turmeric, chili, salt, water & potatoes: Mix the powdered spices in water and add to the pot, along with the potatoes. Bring to boil and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chicken and potatoes are cooked.
5. Almond meal: Add to the curry and simmer for another 5 minutes.