Kapitan Chicken (Malaysian Nyonya Chicken Curry)

• 10 dried red chillies, soaked in hot water (keep the soaking water)
• 5 small red shallots, chopped
• 4 cm piece galangal, peeled and chopped
• 3 cm piece ginger, peeled and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, chopped
• 4 candlenuts or macadamia nuts
• 1½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp shrimp paste (belacan)
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) peanut oil
• 800 g chicken thigh fillets, excess fat trimmed, quartered
• 1 × 270 ml can coconut milk
• ½ cup water
• 6 makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, scrunched
• 1 lemongrass stalk (or the tough outer layers), bruised, for infusing
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• salt: a large pinch in the paste, a pinch in the curry, more to taste

Method

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1. Soak the dried chillies in hot water until soft, then squeeze them out, keeping the soaking water. Roughly chop them. 0:33
2. Blend the chillies, shallots, galangal, ginger, garlic, chopped lemongrass, candlenuts, shrimp paste and a large pinch of salt to a smooth paste, adding chilli water a spoonful at a time. Stir in the turmeric. 1:09
3. Heat the peanut oil in a large saucepan, add the paste and fry over low heat, stirring often, about 10 minutes until the oil separates and rises. 5:41
4. Turn the heat up, add the chicken and stir often for about 10 minutes until sealed and coated in the paste. 6:26
5. Add the coconut milk, ½ cup water, scrunched lime leaves, bruised lemongrass and a pinch of salt. Simmer gently for 30–35 minutes until the sauce is thick and the chicken very tender. 6:39
6. Season with the lime juice, sugar and more salt to taste, and serve. 7:47

Tip. Serve with steamed rice or roti. The video uses chicken marylands cut into pieces; the written recipe uses thigh fillets. Fewer chillies make it milder. Keeps 3 days in the fridge.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.