Curry Kapitan

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds chicken thighs or breasts, skinned and boned
3 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup dry, shredded coconut
4 Tbsp. cooking oil, peanut or canola
2 limes, juiced
1/2 cilantro, chopped for garnish

Curry Paste:

1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 large shallots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 stalks of lemongrass, remove tops, tough outer leaves and any root base of stalk, sliced thin
4-5 Thai chiles, stemmed and chopped
1 tsp. Asian chile flakes
2″ piece of ginger, peeled and sliced thin
1 tsp. shrimp paste or fish sauce
1 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. cardamom
1/2 tsp. mustard powder
1/2 tsp. star of anise, ground
2 tsp. cumin powder
2 Tbsp. coriander, ground
1 tsp. nutmeg, fresh grated
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. white pepper

Instructions:

Toast the shredded coconut in a dry frying pan until golden brown and place it in a food processor with the coconut milk. Blend to a smooth consistency. Pour into a container and set aside. Rinse the processor.

Place the curry paste ingredients into a food processor and blend to a smooth consistency. Add a touch of water if needed to aid in blending.

Preheat the oil to medium-high in a large heavy skillet or pot. Season the chicken with a bit of salt and brown about 2 minutes on both sides. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.

Add the curry paste to the skillet and stir fry for about 2 minutes or until it starts to release a fragrance.

Add the chicken and coat the pieces with curry paste. Fry over medium heat for about 8 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent from burning the curry.

Add the coconut mixture and stir well to blend the flavors. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 40 minutes. Stir the sauce and turn the meat occasionally to prevent it from burning.

Stir in the lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Yields 4 servings.

Recipe from www.cedco.com