Burmese Dry Chicken Curry

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Serving Size : 1 servings.
Category : BBQ


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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2 onions -- rough chopped
5 cloves garlic -- rough chopped
1/2 inch piece fresh root ginger -- peeled and chopped
2 sticks lemon grass -- roughly chopped
2 red chilies seeded and chopped
--habaneros or Thai chilies
1 tablespoon fish sauce -- (nam pla)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 tablespoons Veg. oil
3 pounds chicken, cut into 8 curry pieces
4 green (or two black) cardamom pods
2 tablespoons rough chopped coriander/cilantro leaf
Salt and fresh ground black pepper



Ready, set, cook!



*Curry pieces: cut off both legs and thighs together taking as much
meat as possible from the carcass at the top of the thigh, separate
legs and thighs. Cut down along breast as far as wing at side of
breast bone to expose ribs, cut through ribs at top along length of
breast bone, cut through ribs at bottom of breast as far as wing, cut
wing at joint with body and remove breast and wing as one piece, cut
into two approximately one third along breast from wing. Grind the
first 7 ingredients (i.e. up to and including the turmeric) together
into a smooth paste (food processor/pestle and mortar etc). Heat oil
in wide frying pan or wok and add paste, stir-fry until moisture has
evaporated and paste has started to brown. Add chicken pieces and stir
well, scrape bottom of pan to prevent sticking. Cover tightly and
simmer for 35-45 minutes - there should be enough liquid given off
from the chicken during cooking but check now and then and stir. If
chicken does get too dry and starts sticking/burning (and it's never
happened to me) add a tablespoon or so of water and stir in, scraping
residue off bottom of pan. Shortly before chicken is ready slit open
cardamom pods and extract seeds, crush seeds in pestle and mortar and
add to chicken with coriander leaf, stir and simmer for a further
minute or so, taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with plain rice or
coconut rice. Drink beer: Singha, Bintang or Tiger beers are
excellent, Pilsner Urquell is good too. Ken Hom has a similar recipe
but he omits the Nam Pla and adds 1 tbs. dry sherry and two tbs. soy
sauce just before the simmering which makes it much more like a
Straits Chinese or Nonna dish.