Posted: 12:30pm Fri 19 Jul, 2013

Noisy bird makes ravishing rooster curry

Dazz Switalla
Flavour Secrets
No.1 The Strand Chef
www.no1thestrand.co.nz

As I have mentioned before, it's sometimes hard to create a winter dish when the sun is shining and you are encased in its warmth as you sit on the deck.
The chooks are out and I'm plotting the departure of the latest chick who decided to wake the neighbour at 6.45 this morning. After the last rumble in the chook house when the feathers were flying, you would think that any 16 week old chick that was thinking about its gender would book in for a sex change operation.
The unnamed rooster would make a good curry or could end up under the Wairoa bridge with all the other bachelors from town.
There are many types of curry I could use for my rooster. A favourite of mine is a Nonyan one from Penang. The method is simple, but some of the ingredients can only be bought from an Asian supermarket – always worth a visit.
This recipe is adapted so it is quicker to make and easier to eat as the original recipe calls for whole chicken cut into pieces and a stock made.
Nonyan style rooster curry
Serves 4
Ingredients
1.5kg boneless chicken thighs
2 large onions sliced
3 cloves of garlic
6 dried red chillies soaked in warm water
6-8 candle nuts (substitute macadamia)
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp galangal powder
3 kafir lime leaf, shredded
2 tablespoons of tamarind concentrate
2 tablespoons of dark soya sauce
500ml to 1 litre real chicken stock
2 discs (approximately 120g) palm sugar
Salt for seasoning
Method
Cut chicken into pieces and marinade for 20 minutes in tamarind mixed with ½ cup of water, the dark soya sauce and the shredded
lime leaf.
In a food processor mix the candle nuts, one of the onions, the garlic, drained chillies and all of the spices. Blitz to a paste.
Heat a little oil in a wok or heavy based pan and cook the remaining onion until brown. Add the drained chicken pieces and cook with the curry paste. Stirring constantly, add some of the reserved chicken marinade a little at a time. Add some stock and continue cooking, adding liquid to reach the desired consistency. Splash in the fish sauce and grate in the palm sugar and season with a little salt. Serve with rice.

As I have mentioned before, it's sometimes hard to create a winter dish when the sun is shining and you are encased in its warmth as you sit on the deck.

The chooks are out and I'm plotting the departure of the latest chick who decided to wake the neighbour at 6.45 this morning. After the last rumble in the chook house when the feathers were flying, you would think that any 16 week old chick that was thinking about its gender would book in for a sex change operation.

The unnamed rooster would make a good curry or could end up under the Wairoa bridge with all the other bachelors from town.

There are many types of curry I could use for my rooster. A favourite of mine is a Nonyan one from Penang. The method is simple, but some of the ingredients can only be bought from an Asian supermarket – always worth a visit.

This recipe is adapted so it is quicker to make and easier to eat as the original recipe calls for whole chicken cut into pieces and a stock made.

Nonyan style rooster curry
Serves 4

Ingredients

1.5kg boneless chicken thighs

2 large onions sliced

3 cloves of garlic

6 dried red chillies soaked in warm water

6-8 candle nuts (substitute macadamia)

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp galangal powder

3 kafir lime leaf, shredded

2 tablespoons of tamarind concentrate

2 tablespoons of dark soya sauce

500ml to 1 litre real chicken stock

2 discs (approximately 120g) palm sugar

Salt for seasoning

Method

Cut chicken into pieces and marinade for 20 minutes in tamarind mixed with ½ cup of water, the dark soya sauce and the shredded

lime leaf.

In a food processor mix the candle nuts, one of the onions, the garlic, drained chillies and all of the spices. Blitz to a paste.

Heat a little oil in a wok or heavy based pan and cook the remaining onion until brown. Add the drained chicken pieces and cook with the curry paste. Stirring constantly, add some of the reserved chicken marinade a little at a time. Add some stock and continue cooking, adding liquid to reach the desired consistency. Splash in the fish sauce and grate in the palm sugar and season with a little salt. Serve with rice.

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