Chinese chicken curry

https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/food-drink/article/3025487/how-make-chinese-chicken-curry-family-recipe

This is comfort food. When I was growing up in the United States, it’s a dish my paternal grandmother made often for her Saturday dinners or Sunday lunches for the family. And, when I left home, it was a familiar dish to order at inexpensive “rice plate” Chinese restaurants. It’s something I make at home, too, although my recipe is slightly different from my grandmother’s: she didn’t use fish sauce but I do, and I prefer to add coconut milk instead of the canned evaporated milk she used. But it still tastes of home. Susan Jung

Curry powders vary a lot in flavour, depending on the spices used. I use the Koon Yick Wah Kee brand, which is made in Hong Kong. If you like a slightly spicy curry, and there’s not enough chilli in your brand of curry powder (you should taste it, first), add a small amount of cayenne pepper or Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru). It shouldn’t be very spicy though – the flavour should be mild and slightly sweet.



1 fresh chicken, about 1.2kg (42 1/3 oz)
Cornstarch, as needed
Cooking oil, as needed
1 onion, about 250 grams (9 oz)
1-2 garlic cloves
1-2 tsp grated ginger
2-3 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper or Korean chilli flakes (optional)
15ml fish sauce
350 grams all-purpose potatoes
Fine sea salt
5 grams granulated sugar
200ml coconut milk
Toasted coconut shreds

Cut the chicken into nine pieces: two drumsticks, two thighs, two wings (middle and drumette joints only), two breasts and the lower back. (The upper back, neck, wing tips, feet and carcass bones can be simmered to make chicken broth for another dish.)

Pour oil into a large skillet to the depth of about 2cm (7/8 inch) and place over a medium flame. Spoon some cornstarch into a shallow dish. Dredge the chicken pieces in the cornstarch to coat them completely, then shake off the excess. When the oil is 180 degrees (350 degrees Fahrenheit) Celsius, place the chicken pieces in the pan and cook until the crust is set – you don’t want to cook the meat completely.

Turn the pieces over and fry the other side. You’ll probably need to do this in batches; don’t crowd the pan. When the chicken pieces are ready, drain them on paper towels.

Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2cm (7/8 inch) chunks.

Heat about 30ml (2 tbsp) of oil in a wide pot and place it over a medium flame. When the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent but not brown; if necessary, lower the heat.

Add the ginger and stir for about 30 seconds, then mix in the curry powder (and the cayenne or chilli flakes, if using). Stir almost constantly for about 30 seconds, then pour in the fish sauce, five grams (1 tsp) of sugar and 400ml (1 2/3 cup) of water. Add the potatoes and bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat, cover with the lid and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the dark meat chicken pieces to the pot – drumsticks, thighs and lower back – nestling them among the potatoes so they are partially submerged in the liquid. Bring to the boil then lower the flame, cover the pot with the lid and simmer for eight minutes, stirring occasionally and turning over the pieces halfway through.

Add the wings and breast pieces, mix well, then simmer for five minutes.

Add almost all the coconut milk, reserving about 15ml (1 tbsp), then stir the ingredients. Simmer for a few minutes, then taste the sauce. If it’s too spicy, add a little more sugar. If the sauce is too thick, stir in some water.

Ladle the ingredients into a serving bowl and drizzle with the reserved coconut milk. Scatter the toasted coconut shreds on top and serve immediately, with plenty of rice to sop up the sauce. Serves four to six as part of a Chinese meal.