Kapitan Chicken Curry

Kapitan Chicken Curry, commonly known as Curry Kapitan is a popular Malaysian Nyonya dish originated from the state of Malacca.

Nonya cuisine was developed by the Peranakan - the descendants of early Chinese immigrants to Malaysia, and as a result is a fusion of Chinese and Malay culinary traditions, but has a flavour all its own.

Kapitans were appointed chiefs or headmen of the various ethnic communities during the Portuguese and Dutch colonial rule in what are now present-day Indonesia and Malaysia. Kapitan China was originally a Malay title for the representative of a Chinese enclave. The fifteenth century rulers of Southeast Asia, chose to deal with a single individual from each ethnic group under their rule.

Chicken kapitan is a thick spicy chicken curry dish which conjures up some of the cosmopolitan atmosphere of old Malacca and recalls the traditional role of the 'Kapitan China' as the functionary who stood between the Malay Rulers and the Chinese communities.

In addition to coconut milk and lemongrass, the dish makes liberal use of "belacan", a shrimp paste that is the hallmark of Nonya cuisine. While belacan has a sharp odor by itself, when used in cooking it acts as a flavour enhancer, adding texture and boldness to the dish's other ingredients, rather than drawing attention to itself.

Although this curry dish is originated from Malacca, I have used a Nyonya recipe developed by Penang chef Philip Yoong. The ingredients and cooking steps may be slightly different from the original Malacca version but nonetheless it's a wonderful curry dish worth trying.


Kapitan Chicken Curry

Ingredients

600 g chicken thigh fillets
5 tbsp oil
100 ml thick coconut milk

Marinade:
Juice from 1 lime
100 g grated coconut, stir-fried (without oil) on low-heat for 10 minutes until golden brown and fragrant
2 tbsp light soy sauce

Lemongrass Stock:
500 ml water
2 stalks lemongrass
8 kaffir line leaves, sliced

Spice Paste (ground all ingredients into a paste with a food processor):
250 g shallots, peeled
100 g garlic, peeled
3 stalks lemongrass
10 dried chillies, soaked in warm water to soften
6 red fresh chillies

Seasonings:
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
4 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp toasted belacan powder


Method:

1. Mix chicken with marinade in a bowl. Cover with cling film and marinate overnight in the fridge.
2. Put ingredients for lemongrass stock into a pot and bring to boil. Cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Heat up the oil in a wok and saute spice paste until fragrant. Add the marinated chicken and stir-fry until aromatic. Add in lemongrass stock and seasonings. Continue cooking until the sauce has has thickened and chicken is cooked.
4. Pour in coconut milk and bring to boil. Dish up and serve with rice.