Curry Chicken With A Difference..........

Last week, I cooked a pot of chicken curry using kaffir lime leaves or otherwise known as daun limau perut. These leaves, with the combination of other fresh ingredients like lemon grass, shallots, garlic, fresh chillis, galangal (lengkuas), tumeric, and the sourness of tamarind juice gives this curry an unmistakable taste and fragrance thats make it so special and wanting more of it after the first helping.........like to share it here....

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken -cut into big pieces

15 nos shallots

2 stalks lemon grass (serai)

3 cloves garlic

6 nos fresh chillis

6 nos dried chillis

3 cm fresh tumeric (kunyit)

Blend together all the ingredients above except the chicken.........

5cm knob of galangal -sliced and bruised.

200 ml thick coconut milk- squeeze from 1 coconut

300 ml diluted coconut milk- second straining.

4 tablespoon oil

1 tbsp tamarind mixed with 4 tbsp water - drained for juice.

6 to 8 leaves kaffir lime leaves

salt to taste

Kaffir Lime leaves...........................

Method:

Heat oil in pan.....add blended ingredients and stir-fry til fragrant and oil appears .......then add in chicken pieces to fry for about 5 minutes to blend with the spices and add a few tablespoon of coconut milk or water to prevent the mixture from burnt and til the chicken meat change colour....next add in the remaining thin coconut milk, tamarind juice, kaffir lime leaves, galangal and cook on low medium heat for about 20 mins on a simmer. When the meat is tender add in the thick coconut milk and salt to taste. Bring to a soft boil, mix well and then it is ready to be served with hot rice and bread.

My niece Iris,....having a good time with the curries and bread.......

For a healthier curry I substitute the coconut milk with low fat milk and fresh plain yoghurt.