Kari Kapitan

Zaty has started her matriculation. I have lost my faithful assistant in the house. For the past six months Zaty has done the washing and ironed some of them, cooked dinner and maintained the bathrooms when necessary. What a relief to come home to the smell of fried fresh fish and dinner already cooked. Anyway the past 6 months must have been a good learning experience for Zaty.In her new apartment at College, there are two electric hotplates and a microwave oven.With the refrigerator to store the perishables and a hypermarket across her apartment, if she were not in Malaysia, she should be able to cook. But with the hectic schedule, I don't expect her to do so.

Since we all have to eat and my children needs some good recipe reference,I'd like to post the chicken curry recipe here based on the Nyonya recipes from Malacca.Nyonyas and Babas are the descendants of Peranakan people settling in the Straits Settlement ( Malacca, Penang and Singapore) who adopted the Malay culture in terms of food and dressing but not the religion.


Ingredients for Kari Kapitan:

4 pieces of chicken

Grounded(A) (B)
5 gm belacan (Shrimp Paste) 125 ml thin coconut milk
1 stalk lemon grass 250 ml thick coconut milk
6 candlenuts a dash of black pepper
3 cm young ginger salt
3 cm fresh turmeric root
3 cloves garlic
3 shallots
cooking oil

Heat the oil and fry A till fragrant.Add in the chicken Pour in the thin coconut milk and cook till chicken is tender.
Add in the thick coconut milk and stir till the mixture boils.Add in salt and black pepper.

If you prefer a spicier curry, add in grounded chillies in A.When the chicken is cooked you can also add in chopped torch ginger flowers ( Bunga Kantan. That would make your curry stand out from normal curries.