Kari Ayam: Malaysian Chicken Curry

One of the obvious perks of being married to a gorgeous Malaysian man is sharing delicious home-cooked meals from his childhood. I imagine he dined on this curry as a boy, surrounded by family at a busy kitchen table in the small town of Miri in Borneo.

Here, Byron shares his recipe for a mild, flavoursome traditional family chicken curry, Kari Ayam (aren't we lucky?!).

Kari Ayam
Serves 4

Olive oil
500g chicken thigh fillets, chunky diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
8 cm piece of ginger
1 long red chilli, seeds removed, finely sliced
3 star anise
6-8 cardamon pods, smack with the back of your knife to open
1 cinnamon scroll
2 Tbs ground turmeric
4 kaffir limes leaves
2 pandan leaves
1 cup chicken stock
1 Tbs hard palm sugar
2 large washed potatoes, large cubes
1 cup coconut milk
Coriander and fresh chilli to serve
Brown rice

In a large pan, heat roughly 1 tablespoon of olive oil, brown the chicken (high heat) and set aside. Reduce to low heat, add more oil, the crushed garlic, thinly sliced ginger, chilli, star anise, cardamon pods, cinnamon scroll and the turmeric. Stir constantly to prevent sticking to the pan and cook until the ingredients cook to a golden colour, approximately 5 minutes. Return the cooked chicken to the pan, add the kaffir lime leaves and pandan leaves, stir to coat with the spices and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and palm sugar and cover the pot, allowing a small space for steam to escape (Byron used a wooden spoon under the lid to allow a small gap). Simmer over low heat until the volume of the stock is reduced slightly. Add the potatoes and coconut milk and continue to slowly simmer until the potatoes are just soft (test with a fork).

Taste and season if needed.

Serve with fluffy brown rice, and sprinkled with sliced chilli and fresh coriander leaves. Usually we prepare our brown rice in a rice cooker with several slices of ginger and knotted pandan leaves tucked into the rice as it cooks. The flavour is subtly enhanced and the aroma is mouth-watering.

A handy tip: Remove the cardamon pods when you serve as they can have quite a surprising burst of flavour when you bite into them unexpectedly.

Eat surrounded by family or friends around your kitchen table. Talk, laugh, savour and enjoy.

Sangat Sedap!

Bella and Byron xx

Tweet

Coconut Banana and Mint Smoothie

Our mint is flourishing throughout our herb garden and I am ecstatic because I love the unique flavour and fresh, aromatic scent that evokes fond memories of summery mojitos, spicy green salads, chocolate mint cookies, and lime and mint lemonade.

Fresh mint is a versatile, distinct herb that deserves a special place on a menu and in our household on the morning of my first university exam I chose to blend a delicious, thick smoothie with ingredients we either grow organically or have on hand no matter the time of year.

Coconut Banana and Mint Smoothie
Serves 2-3

4 Lady Finger bananas
1 young coconut, flesh and juice
8-10 fresh mint leaves
2 tsp hemp oil
1 tsp maca root powder*
ice

Blend all ingredients until thick and smooth. You may add natural yoghurt or substitute coconut milk for some of the coconut juice for a creamier texture. I've also tried unsweetened almond milk in this smoothie and it tastes incredible!

Fresh mint, smooth blended coconut and dreamy sweet banana make for a delicious, healthy and stimulating smoothie that will help to settle your butterflies. Mint has been used medicinally to treat indigestion as it can aid digestion. I found it particularly refreshing before my exam and managed to remain calm and relaxed as my pen hit the exam paper.

*A little word of warning for some of you out there who may be new to maca root... My friend Sophie recently suggested it to me and my, oh my did it have a peculiar effect. Comment below if you you know what I'm talking about...

You have one week to enter our giveaway, if you haven't entered yet, the link can be found here and some of the items available are featured below.

Bella xx

Tweet

Sarawak Laksa

Miri is Byron's hometown, it's located in the state of Sarawak on the coast of East Malaysia and one of this region's famous dishes is the traditional Sarawak Laksa.

Sarawak laksa, in contrast to curry laksa is actually made using a fermented fried or toasted shrimp paste known as Sambal belacan. The 'curry' is then made by pounding the shrimp paste and fresh chillis together with a pestle and mortar to which coconut milk, sugar, lime juice, ginger (galangal- blue ginger), lemongrass root, garlic, sour tamarind and salt are added.

In our version, the curry was then ladled over cooked thin rice noodles and topped with shredded chicken, plump prawns and impossibly thin ribbons of egg made from a sliced omelette. A generous squeeze of a small Malaysian lime greatly enhanced the spicy Sarawak laksa and I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the small lime's juice tasted.

Best eaten with the company of new and old friends and a must try if you ever venture to Sarawak. Fresh, crunchy bean sprouts and coriander may also enhance the Sarawak laksa, though to be honest I don't believe the dish requires any 'dressing-up' as it definitely holds it's own very proudly around a crowded table.

Not surprisingly, it was difficult to stop at one bowl.

Bella xx

Tweet

Cendol

Those who know me personally are aware that I have an incredibly sweet tooth and this is why I have decided to write about a sweet ice dessert as my first dish in Malaysia.

Behold the simple, yet satisfyingly chilly Cendol.

Cendol (pronounced 'chen-doll') is popular throughout Southeast Asia and is perfect to eat on a hot day, like those we encountered in humid Kuala Lumpur. The variations of the dish we ordered usually comprised of thick light green worm-like strands of jelly made from rice flour coloured with pandan leaves, shaved ice piled high in a small bowl, coconut nilk, red beans and syrup made using black palm sugar (Gula melaka).

By the time we reached the bottom of the bowl the dessert had melted down to a chilled sweet soup and satisfied our sugar cravings for the day. It's the perfect dessert to enjoy following a spicy meal in KL and it averages about RM3 (three Malaysian Ringgit), which equates to approximately $1AUD (one Australian dollar).

Pretty sweet, huh?

Bella xx

Tweet