RECIPE: NYONYA CHICKEN CURRY WITH KAFFIR LIME LEAVES (AYAM LIMAU PURUT)

I have always loved the nyonya style of cooking and this dish is one of my favourites - the piquancy of the tamarind, kaffir leaves and lime just adds to the flavour of this dish. We normally eat this with rice or crusty bread and served with stir fried vegetables and accompaniments such as ASIAN STYLE CUCUMBER AND PINEAPPLE SALAD (AJAD).

Ingredients

Veg oil
1 chicken – cut into pieces (I used a 1.5 kg chook)
2 to 3 slices dried tamarind pieces (asam gelugur) – optional (see picture below)
½ to 1 cup water
1 cup thick coconut milk or ½ tin large coconut cream mixed with ½ tin water
6 to 8 Kaffir lime leaves
Salt to taste
2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Spice Paste – chopped and ground to a fine paste (if using blender or processor, with minimal water or oil)
4 cm galangal (lengkuas) root
1 stalk lemon grass – thick bottom third only
10 red chillies
3 medium red onions
5 cloves garlic
1 tsp turmeric

Method

Heat oil in a wok and stir fry the ground spices over medium heat for 8 to 10 mins until fragrant.

Add in the chicken, tamarind pieces and water and simmer for 10 mins until the chicken is half cooked.

Add in the coconut and lime leaves and simmer uncovered, on medium heat until the chicken is cooked (another 10 mins or so). The gravy in this dish is fairly thick so don’t add too much water. Season with salt, add in the lime juice, lift and serve immediately.