Chicken curry kapitan, the classic colonial style
Published on: Friday, January 22, 2021
By:
The Orange Sieve, FMT
This colonial-era dish is still very much loved today. (The Orange Sieve pic)
Legend has it that during colonial times a Chinese officer once asked his chef to prepare something new for him.
When this dish was served, the officer was really impressed, so he asked the chef what it was. The chef simply replied, “Ayam, Kapitan” in Bahasa.
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When translated, all the chef was really saying was that it was chicken (“It’s chicken, Captain”).
And so, that was how a little linguistic turn gave birth to the name of this beautiful and delicious dish.
If you plan on sharing it with friends, think of it as a lovely way to pay homage to the stories that built our shared identity and the incredible kaleidoscope of flavours that makes Malaysian cuisine so unique.
Flavours and pairings:
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This curry is characterised by the floral notes of galangal (‘lengkuas’), the fragrance of lemongrass (‘serai’) and the gravitational gut of dried shrimp paste (‘belacan’).
It goes perfectly with a bowl of hot rice and a side of a sweet and sour pineapple salad, and best enjoyed as a treat with loved ones.
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Ingredients
To cook:
- 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces with the skin removed
- 2 medium potatoes
- 200 ml coconut milk
To blend (first spice paste or ‘rempah’):
- 4 large red chillies, roughly cut into inch-sized pieces
- 1 cm fresh turmeric (or 1 teaspoon turmeric powder)
- 5 cm piece galangal, roughly cut into chunks
- 3 stalks lemongrass, white section finely sliced and greener section kept intact
- 1 medium red onion, roughly cut into chunks
- 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
To blend (second rempah):
- ¾ teaspoon belacan (dried shrimp paste)
- 3 large red chillies, roughly cut into inch-sized pieces
There are two types of spice pastes or “rempah” needed for this dish. (The Orange Sieve pic)
Method:
- Prepare the first rempah by combining three large red chillies, turmeric, galangal, lemongrass (white stalks only), garlic and onion. Blend all ingredients until it becomes a fine paste.
- Prepare the second rempah by blending three large red chillies until fine.
- Heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan, then add the belacan.
- Cook for a few seconds, then add the blended chillies and cook on a low-medium flame for three minutes, or until the oil splits.
- In a large pot, heat five tablespoons of oil.
- Add the first rempah, stir well and cook on a low-medium fire for five to eight minutes, or until the oil splits.
- Add chicken, potatoes and lemongrass. Stir well to coat everything with the first rempah.
- Then add two cups of water. Close with a lid and allow to simmer for twenty minutes on a low-medium fire.
- Add coconut milk and the second rempah. Close with a lid and cook for another fifteen minutes on a low fire.
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