Malay Chicken Curry

Malaysia is a melting pot of Asian cuisines and their famous chicken curry - Kari Ayam - has a strong Indian influence, but with the addition of lemongrass and coconut milk you get a unique fragrant curry.

To make this recipe is super easy, I am using the Woh Hup Malaysian Chicken Curry paste. Made in Malaysia, the Woh Hup pastes are truly authentic and create a really delicious, no fuss curry. If you want a vegetarian dish, substitute aubergine instead of chicken.

When it comes to the chicken, I will always choose chicken thighs and I like them to have the skin on - they are easily the best part. Buying boneless, skin-on chicken thighs is tricky so I generally whip the bones out with a knife before I start.

Recipe for Malaysian Curry Chicken
Serves 5-6
1.25kg chicken thighs, skin on, bone-in
190g Woh Hup Malaysian Curry Chicken Paste
800ml coconut milk
150ml chicken stock
200g potatoes, peeled and cut into 1'' dice
Fresh coriander
Pinch of sea salt

1. Arrange the chicken thighs skin side down onto an oiled roasting tray and spoon a little of the curry paste onto the fleshy side of each piece, smoothing it over to evenly coat. If you can, leave to marinade for 20-30 minutes.

2. Pre-heat your oven to 220°C.

3. Now turn the chicken thighs over so they are skin side up and sprinkle a pinch of sea salt over. Now place the tray in the pre-heated oven and roast for 20 minutes.

4. In a wide, high sided frying pan or heavy bottomed casserole pan, gently warm the remaining curry paste before adding the coconut milk and chicken stock and bringing to a simmer for a couple of minutes.

5. Once the chicken thighs have roasted for 20 minutes, take then out the oven and arrange them in the pan with the sauce, pour all the cooking juices from the roasting tin in as well.

6. Gently simmer this, uncovered, for around 40 minutes. You are aiming for the chicken to become lovely and tender and for the sauce to reduce a little.

7. After around 20 minutes of simmering, add the diced potato to the pot and mix in, continue to cook for a further 20 minutes or until the potatoes are nice and soft.

8. It's very common for the fat to split from the sauce and rise to the top - this is a good thing and a classic way to serve this dish.

That's it. Serve with a sprinkle of coriander and either Jasmine or Basmati rice it's also nice with paratha breads and your favourite sambal - either Sambal Oelek, Ikan Bilis or Shrimp.

Enjoy! Don't forget to leave a review for this recipe below - and tag us on socials @somerset.foodie when you make this at home. Ben