This delicious Nyonya Chicken Curry with Kaffir Lime Leaves is rich, creamy, spicy, and tangy. Kaffir lime leaves make the curry very aromatic.
Chicken Curry with Kaffir Lime Leaves is very much a part of Nyonya (Peranakan/Straits Chinese) Cuisine. It is a rich and creamy, yet spicy and tangy chicken curry. Kaffir lime leaves give the curry a wonderful fragrance and asam gelugor pieces provide the tanginess. Asam gelugor are slices of dried fruit of the asam gelugor tree indigenous to Malaysia. You can substitute with lime juice if you cannot find asam gelugor.
Kaffir Lime Leaves
Kaffir lime leaves are highly aromatic leaves of the makrut limne tree. They are a great addition to spicy soups and curries. Fresh, tender young leaves can be sliced and used in salads, like this Nasi Ulam (Nyonya Herb Rice Salad). While I cannot always get the fresh leaves, I am able to buy dried ones which are really convenient.
A Little About the Nyonyas
The Baba-Nyonyas (Peranakans/Straits Chinese) are descendants of the early Chinese immigrants to Malaysia (then known as Malaya), Singapore, and Indonesia. They intermarried with the local population. Many were traders from the province of Fujian, China, attracted by the bustling spice trade. They started arriving as early as the 15th century. As time went by, their population grew. When the British established the Straits Settlement of Malacca, Penang, and Singapore in the early 19th century, the Peranakans in these places became known as the Straits Chinese. Today, Peranakans are considered ethnic Chinese. Most marry within their own community and assimilate back into mainstream Chinese culture.
While the early Chinese intermarried with the Malays, they retain most of their ethnic and religious (ancestral worship) origins. They did however assimilate the local language and customs. They developed their own patois, corrupting the use of Hokkien (Fujianese), Malay, and subsequently English. Their clothing, the Baju Panjang or Baju Kebaya Nyonya was adapted from the Malay Baju Kurung. It is worn with keronsang (brooches), batik sarong (wrap), and kasut manik (beaded slippers). Their food developed into a unique cuisine with influences from neighboring countries.
Nyonya Cuisine
Nyonya cuisine is a blending of Chinese ingredients with the spices used by the Malay community. The food is aromatic, tangy, spicy, and herbal. Key ingredients include
Asam gelugor (asam keping)
Asam jawa (tamarind)
Belachan (shrimp paste)
bunga kantan (torch ginger)
Buah keras (candle nuts)
Cincaluk (fermented baby shrimps)
Coconut milk
Daun kesum (polygonum/Vietnamese mint)
Galangal (similar to ginger)
Kaffir lime leaves
Lemongrass
Mint leaves
Pandan leaves (screwpine)
Turmeric
Like all cuisines, there are regional differences. Dishes from the island of Penang and the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia are more spicy and tangy. They draw their inspiration from Thailand. Dishes from Malacca and Singapore show more influence from Indonesia. They are sweeter and are rich in coconut milk.
Similar Tools Used in Making This Chicken Curry with Kaffir Lime Leaves
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“Terre D’Umbria” 1-Handle Casserole Made of Terracotta, 21cm (8.5 Inches)
9″ Coconut Shell Long Handle Wooden Kitchen Cooking Ladle, Set of 2
Handmade All Natural 4 Coconut Spoons, Serving wooden spoon
Chicken Curry with Kaffir Lime Leaves
Ingredients
- 20 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 small Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cubed
- 5 kaffir lime leaves
- ½ cup coconut cream ** (120ml)
- ½ cup water ** (120ml)
- 2 pieces assam gelugor or 2 tbsp lime juice
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt to taste
Spice Paste
- 5 fresh red chilies cut into small pieces
- 6 shallots or 1 medium sized onion, peeled, and cut into small pieces
- 1 stalk lemongrass sliced bottom third into rings
- 1½ in galangal or ginger root (45g)
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and halved
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
Instructions
- Grind spice paste ingredients in a blender or food processor with 2 tablespoons of water.
- Heat oil in a medium sized pot and stir fry ground spice paste until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and stir till chicken turns opaque, about 3 minutes.
- Pour in coconut cream and water**. Add kaffir lime leaves and assam gelugor, if using. When it comes to a boil, season with salt. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes.
- Add cubed potatoes and continue to cook for another 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender, and gravy has thicken.
- If you did not use assam gelugor, stir in lime juice now. Turn off heat and allow curry to sit for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nyonya Ware
Nyonya ware is porcelain found among the Straits Chinese of Penang, Malacca, and Singapore. It has distinctive colors of green, pink, and yellow. Kitchen Ching are the common household pottery, often decorated in blue and white. The pictures above show the curry in a Kitchen Ching bowl.
NOTE: This post was updated on October 30th, 2011 with new write-up and pictures. No changes were made to the recipe.
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 😎
denise @ quickies on the dinner table says
Biren, this is my husband's all time favourite dish! Only he calls it "Ayam Kalio" and insists that I cook it with bird's eye chili 😀
5 Star Foodie says
Scrumptious curry! I saw the kaffir lime leaves once in my grocery store, I hope I can find them again sometime.
Angie's Recipes says
The bright yellow curry looks so much more appealing. Haven't seen the kaffir lime leaves here around.
DongXing says
I am entertaining some friends this Sunday and am planning to cook a curry chicken. This recipe is perfect as I do have a bag of dried kafir lime leaves in the cupboard begging to be used. I might add a couple of bird's eye chilli as my husband likes a good kick in curry. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Anncoo says
Love this curry chicken especially with kaffir lime leaves. I like the pot, saw this before long time ago.
Biren says
denise@quickies on the dinner table – I like this curry too. I try to make my curries mild so that my boys can have them. The younger has a mild palate.
5 Star Foodie – Those kaffir lime leaves are hard to come by here. Grab them when you do see them as they can be dried.
Angie's Recipes – Keep looking…..you may just come across them. They are very aromatic and worth keeping in the pantry.
DongXing – I hope your friends enjoy the curry.
Anncoo – One of my favorites too! I bought the pot a long, long time ago. I don't know if you can even find them now….very rustic!
ARUNA says
Nice n yummy curry!
shahana says
First time here.U got awonderful blog!!!
Table Talk says
Craving this now! I have always had to buy kaffir lime leaves online….kind of ingredient deprived even in our best gourmet market ;/
Thanks for sharing this dish!
Biren says
Aruna – Thanks for visiting! I hope you will visit again.
Shahana – Thanks so much for visiting and for your kind comments. Please visit again.
Table Talk – You are most welcomed! I like this dish too. Yes, kaffir lime leaves are so hard to come by here in the US which is a pity. It is so aromatic and is a wonderful addition even to salads.
Cinnamon-Girl says
This looks so rich and delicious with the kaffir lime and coconut cream! I have a hard time finding kaffir leaves too. I didn't know you could buy dried ones.
Biren says
Cinnamon Girl – Thanks! Yes, for some reason it is really difficult to find kaffir lime leaves here, even the dried ones. I have seen it though just very reasonly. These were mailed in by a very good friend 🙂
DongXing – You are most welcomed! So glad you had great success with the recipe. The assam gelugor is the real thing and I wish I have some of those 🙂
DongXing says
Just wanted to tell you that the curry was the star of our lunch party on Sunday Feb 28. I had trippled your recipe, substituted the lime juice with 2 slices of assam gelugor and used frozen kafir lime leaves instead of the dried ones, and everything worked out fantastic. My husband is my number one critic and this dish passed his standards with flying colours. He liked it very much and so did all our guests. Nothing was left of the curry. Thank you for sharing this recipe. You can rest assured that this recipe will be made again in the very near future. Keep the recipes coming!!
Katherine Martinelli says
Wow, what a wonderful recipe! I can practically smell it now, it must be so fragrant and delicious.
Reese@SeasonwithSpice says
Biren – I was surprised to see kaffir lime leaves there. So great that you can find the dried ones. Our beloved curries won’t be the same without it. Btw, was there your own collection of Nyonya ware? They are such precious these days. Great recipe!
Biren says
I have seen the fresh ones in the Asian markets in Minneapolis but it is more convenient for me to just get the dried ones. This curry will not be the same without them. Yes, this is my very small collection of Nyonya ware. I wish I had more pieces. Thank you!
organic spices says
hi i am new to this site .i am going to try this recipe right now after seeing.hope comes out good.Thanks for sharing.
Organic Spices
Alan (travellingfoodies) says
hello. lovely recipe 🙂 I assume that we can use fresh kaffir lime leaves and assam paste for the recipe? any modifications required?
I love your nyonya porcelain btw. Could you shed some light on where I could get some pieces like yours?
Thank you very much!
Alan
Biren says
Hi Alan, thanks for visiting! yes, you can most definitely use fresh kaffir lime leaves. In fact, I would use the fresh leaves if I had them. As for the asam paste, you would ix it with some water and add the juice to the curry. I do not have the specific measurement and you will have to go by taste or feel. It will taste different though as asam gelugor or asam keping has a brighter taste. That is why I choose to use lime juice instead if I do not have asam gelugor.
Old nyonya ware is hard to come by these days. You may still find some in the old parts of Melaka like Jonker Street or even Penang but I understand that they cost a lot. However, you can get newly made ones but they are not as fine as the old ones.
Cristhy says
Hi Biren,
This recipe looks fabulous! I can’t wait to try it! However, I can’t seem to find Turmeric Powder. Is there a good substitute I can use?
Thank you!
Biren says
I am not sure if there is a substitute for turmeric. You can try omitting it but the taste and color of the dish will be different. If you can find an Asian or Indian grocery store, you should be able to get ground turmeric from them.
Irene says
Hi Biren,
Thanks for posting your chicken curry recipe. I’ve searching online awhile now for a easy to make curry recipe, especially to introduce to my toddler. Your recipe is something I can adjust the heat/spicy. I’ll try it this week. I just want to ask you about the amount of galangal in the curry as it wasn’t clear in the recipe. Thank you!
Irene
Biren says
You are welcome, Irene. Yes, you can definitely adjust the heat on this one. Please use about 1 1/2-inch knob of galangal. 🙂
Aditi says
Yum!!! This is exactly what we used to have in Singapore! Love love love it! wonder if i will be able to recreate this! Will definitely give it a try…
Linda says
Thanks Aditi! We love this fragrant Chicken Curry too. I am sure you can recreate this. 🙂
Kathy says
I just got back from a business trip to Malaysia a few days ago and I fell in love with the aroma of the Kaffir Lime in several of the dishes I tried (especially a salad dressing – that I’m hoping to convince the restaurant to share with me!). I was happy to find the dried leaves, as well as a small tin of curry seasoning, at a grocery store while there….and I’m glad to know that I can purchase these online!
So, I found this chicken curry recipe and decided to try it last night. I initially used less of the spice paste as I was worried my kids wouldn’t like it, but they actually asked me to add more! Their only complaint was that the potatoes gave the dish a rather “sandy” taste. Is there any way to prepare/cook the potatoes so this doesn’t happen?
Other than that, this recipe was a success…and the aroma wafting through the kitchen took me right back to the streets of Penang 🙂
Linda says
Glad to hear you enjoyed the food in Penang. 🙂 Fresh kaffir lime leaves can be purchased here in the States at some Asian grocery stores but the dried ones will work just fine. I am not sure what you mean with the potatoes being sandy unless you used russet potatoes. Always use waxy potatoes in chicken curry. I like to use red potatoes as Yukon Gold can be a little glassy at times. You can also omit the potatoes altogether. Glad to hear you enjoyed the dish.
brinacyl says
thank you for posting this recipe. i have had this curry twice at a singaporian/malaysian /chinese restaurant in london and fell in love with it. as a pakistani, we make a lot of curries but this curry tasted quite different from the ones that we prepare and now i know it is because of the kaffir leaves, galangal, and lemongrass. i will be cooking this soon !
Linda says
You are welcome! I am very glad to hear you enjoyed this Nyonya curry. I hope you get to make it in your own kitchen soon. 🙂
neil jones says
Great recipe , thank you.
Used our own lime leaves and chillis and added some home grown green bean near the end.
Excellent.
Linda says
Glad you enjoyed the recipe. Also homegrown veggies are the best!
Ann says
I love this curry, aromatic and tasty.
Shanie says
Quite simple and quick for an inexperienced curry makes as myself. I replaced the chili with little red bell peppers as we dont do spicy, and it came out great!
Jon says
Mmmmmmm! Very tasty. Lemongrass and ginger come through the most. I left the chilies out (my family don’t like heat) but added some hot sauce to my plate. It was a beautiful dinner that the whole family want to eat again.
Linda says
Makes me happy to hear that your family enjoyed the chicken “curry” and want to eat it again. Well done in making it work. 🙂