Chicken Curry with Kaffir Lime Leaves

This delicious curry comes from Nyonya cuisine, which is a blend of Chinese ingredients with the spices used by the Malay community. The Baba-Nyonyas are descendants of the early Chinese immigrants to Malasia, Singaporre and Indonesia, who came from Fujian, China, to seek their fortunes in the spice trade. n the 15th century, wherre they became known as the Straits Chinese. While the early Chinese settlers intermarried with the Malays, they retained their ethnic origins, but their food developed into a unique cuisine, influenced by all the surrounding peoples. Their food is aromatic, spicy, tangy, often sweet and rich in coconut milk. 

This Nyonya chicken curry is rich and creamy, yet spicy and tangy. The addition of the highly aromatic kaffir lime leaves gives it an amazing aroma. 

Ingredients:
+/- 600g boneless, skinned chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunky pieces
5 kaffir lime leaves
250ml coconut milk
30ml lemon juice
50ml sunflower or peanut oil
sea salt to taste

For the Spice Paste:
5 fresh red chillies, cut into small pieces
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 stalk of lemon grass, the bottom 1/3 cut into rings
3-4cm galangal (or root ginger if you can't get it)
2.5ml turmeric powder

Method:

Put all the ingredients for the spice paste in a blender or food processor with 30ml water and blitz to a paste.

Heat oil in a medium sized saucepan and stir fry the paste for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Add the chicken and stir for 3-4 minutes until the chicken turns opaque. 

Pour in the coconut milk and add the kaffir lime leaves and bring the resultant mixture to the boil. Season with salt, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the potatoes and cook another 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the gravy has thickened.

Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the lime juice and allow the curry to rest for 15 minutes before serving.