Singaporean Chicken Curry

Name: Singaporean Chicken Curry
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (2½ pounds); 2 tablespoons lime juice; 2 tablespoons minced garlic; 2 tablespoons minced ginger; 2 1/2 teaspoons ground white pepper; Fine salt; 1/4 cup ghee or canola oil; 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced; 1 cinnamon stick, preferably Indian; 3 cardamom pods; 1 whole star anise; 4 whole cloves; 4 fresh or 8 thawed frozen pandan leaves, knotted; 2 teaspoons Kashmiri chile powder or other ground red chile; 2 teaspoons ground coriander; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1 teaspoon ground fennel; 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock; 1/4 cup coconut milk; Nasi biryani

Recipe from Shila Das

Adapted by Clarissa Wei

Updated Feb. 10, 2022

Singaporean Chicken Curry — Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Total Time: 1 hour, plus 40 minutes’ marinating
Rating: 4(1,556)
Comments: Read comments

In Singapore, there are countless versions of curry. Families have their own formulas depending on heritage, and this recipe comes from Shila Das, a second-generation Singaporean of Indian and Vietnamese descent. She makes it as an integral part of her nasi biryani for special occasions, including the Lunar New Year, when she brings the dish to a celebration with her best friend. Spices and aromatic pandan leaves infuse the sauce with lovely, complex flavors. —Clarissa Wei

Featured in: In Singapore, Lunar New Year Is a Multicultural Feast

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

6skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (2½ pounds)
2tablespoons lime juice
2tablespoons minced garlic
2tablespoons minced ginger
2½teaspoons ground white pepper
Fine salt
¼cup ghee or canola oil
1medium red onion, thinly sliced
1cinnamon stick, preferably Indian
3cardamom pods
1whole star anise
4whole cloves
4fresh or 8 thawed frozen pandan leaves, knotted
2teaspoons Kashmiri chile powder or other ground red chile
2teaspoons ground coriander
1teaspoon ground turmeric
1teaspoon ground fennel
2cups low-sodium chicken stock
¼cup coconut milk
Nasi biryani

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels and combine with the lime juice, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1½ teaspoons white pepper, and 1 ½ teaspoons salt in a large bowl. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for 40 minutes.
Step 2
In a large wok or Dutch oven, heat the ghee over medium-high. When the ghee is hot and shimmering, wipe the marinade off the chicken and add the chicken in a single layer. Sear until light golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Step 3
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the onion, remaining 1 tablespoon garlic and 1 tablespoon ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon, cardamom, star anise and cloves, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the pandan leaves, chile powder, ground coriander, ground turmeric, ground fennel and remaining 1 teaspoon white pepper, and stir until it smells lovely, about 10 seconds.
Step 4
Add the chicken and stir until it is completely coated with the aromatics. Pour in the chicken broth, and bring the mixture to a near boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and gently simmer until the chicken is tender and cooked through, 15 to 18 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and simmer briskly to concentrate the flavors, 5 to 8 minutes. Add salt to taste. Turn off the heat and use the curry to prepare nasi biryani.

Ratings

4 out of 5

1,556 user ratings

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Comments

DANA3 years ago

Where do get pandan leaves??

John K3 years ago

"Stir until it smells lovely" may be my new favorite direction.

Prakash Nadkarni3 years ago

Neat recipe. Like lotteries, "a tax on the innumerate", premade (pricey) curry-mixes leverage naivete. Instead, buy bulk whole-spices (which last years) and grind batches as needed, in a few minutes, with a dry grinder. Also, the homemade stuff's likely better: * Freshly ground spices are more potent: less time to volatilize. * Vendors favor cheap spices (turmeric, cumin, coriander, fennel, fenugreek) over pricey ones (cardamom, cloves, nutmeg/mace): ratios may be off versus traditional recipes.

Debra Moser2 months ago

for pandam leacves == substitute with kaffir lime leaves and tamarind juice, and add a knob of minced galangal and lemongrass

Gary Holmes3 months ago

Not sure it was worth the time and effort, but it was indeed good. There was way too much ghee in the recipe, and I removed most of it after refrigerating it, along with probably much of the flavor. Apparently from previous comments, I made mine more Singaporean, since I had no access to pandan leaves and used fresh curry leaves instead. Recs: use half the listed amount of chicken broth. Mine used the recipe and it was very watery and diluted the flavors. We used white rice, not the biryani.

Alex3 months ago

As the recipe points out, there are countless versions and the family heritage of the cook may explain the use of ginger and lemon. The succinct aroma of pandan leaves gets lost in even a mildly spiced curry like this. If you want to use them, steam them with your rice. Galangal and tamarind pulp or juice would provide a more typical taste. Lemony freshness without the sharp sourness can come from kaffir lime leaves. Toast and double spices for extra tastiness- if you cook for curry eaters. The original version is good as an introduction or for kids if they are a bit more fussy with spices.

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