← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 1 kg chicken pieces, bone-in
• 2 tsp Dark soy sauce
• 3 tbsp white vinegar, for the marinade
• 12 Dried chillies, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, drained
• 2 Red chilli
• 8 Shallot
• 5 cloves Garlic
• 3 cm piece Ginger
• 3 cm piece Galangal (optional)
• 4 Candlenuts (buah keras) (optional)
• 1 tsp Ground turmeric
• 5 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds, lightly crushed
• 1 tbsp Dijon or English mustard
• 3 Potato, peeled and halved
• 6 sausages (or leftover roast meats), cut into chunks
• 1 Onion, cut into wedges
• 3 Green chilli, left whole, slit
• 3 tbsp white vinegar, for the gravy
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt, or to taste
• 500 ml Water

Method

1. Toss the chicken with the dark soy and marinade vinegar and leave for 30 min.
2. Blend the soaked dried chillies, fresh chillies, shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, candlenuts and turmeric with a little water into a smooth paste.
3. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Fry the mustard seeds for 30 seconds, then add the paste and fry for 10–12 min, stirring often, until deep red and the oil separates.
4. Add the chicken and its marinade and stir for 5 min to coat. Add the potatoes, water, gravy vinegar, mustard, sugar and salt and bring to the boil.
5. Cover and simmer for 25–30 min until the chicken is cooked through (75°C/165°F) and the potatoes are tender.
6. Add the sausages, onion wedges and green chillies and simmer for 10 min more, until the sausages are cooked through. Taste: it should be hot, sour and only lightly sweet. Serve with rice or crusty bread.

Tips

• Eurasian families make it on Boxing Day with leftover roast chicken, ham and sausages; add cooked meats in the last 10 min.
• It mellows and deepens overnight, so it is a great make-ahead curry.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Singaporean Malaysian Recipes The Meatmen