Curry is much more than just a popular dish in Singapore.
It managed to grace the political stage in August 2011, after the Singapore government stepped in to give its two cents on the uproar following a neighbourly dispute over curry. Since the fateful spat that led up to that incident, many Singaporeans support Cook and Share a Pot of Curry Day every August.
Don’t get me wrong, curry does not make a daily appearance in our meals like it may in the cuisines of other cultures (e.g. Indian culture). But thanks to a wide array of contributors to Singapore’s cultural melting pot of cuisines, Singaporeans are well-exposed to a slew of curries ranging from the thinner curries of South Asia to the thicker curries typical of northern India and Japan.
Malay-style Curries
You can choose from a wide range of Malay curries at any 'Nasi Padang Food Stall' in hawker centres or food courts. Malay-style curries are coconut-based, and tend to be a little watery and on the sweeter side.
Indonesian curries
Indonesian curries are similar to the thinner Malay curries, but are made from a milder mix of spices. I've heard that they don't fancy having cumin in their curry mix (correct me if I'm wrong)! :)
Indian curries
Indian curries can be divided into two broad categories:-
Northern Indian curries that are thick, rich gravies based regularly on yogurt. . .
. . . and Southern Indian curries that are watery like the Malay curries, but more on the salty side.
Even the Chinese are in on the Curry Game
The Hainanese Chinese are famous for their delicious 'scissors cut curry rice' which is basically delightfully creamy, mild curry ladled over a plateful of rice and ingredients like pork chop, stewed belly pork, and fried egg. Most of these yummy ingredients are cut up with a pair of scissors upon order, hence the name.
Another Chinese community, the Peranakan Chinese (a.k.a. Straits-born Chinese), comprises the descendants of Chinese immigrants who built up their lives and heritage on the Malay archipelago. Their version of the chicken curry has become so famous that it is today regularly referred to as the iconic 'Singapore Chicken Curry'.
Many Nyonya curries (as curries from the Peranakan community are called) add assam paste. This paste is made from assorted spices and tamarind, which impart a sourish flavour. Curries that use assam paste are infused with an underlying tangy flavour. My mom enjoys this flavour thoroughly, but it is not my favourite.
Singaporeans also enjoy easy access to both the thin, fragrant curries of Thailand and the thick milk-based curries of Japan. Although highly popular, these are more recent additions to our food scene. As such, it would be improper for me to put them under the big umbrella of our traditional curry heritage.
If I had to choose my favourite curry style. . .
I would, of course, pick the famous one that has even been dubbed as ‘Singapore Curry Chicken’. This curry has a orangey-yellow hue with red oil floating on top. When you dip your spoon in, it collides with big chunks of potato and pieces of chicken leg. Yummm
A curry of Peranakan origins, this one tastes like the authentic flavours of Indian curry crossed with the aroma of Chinese spices (in particular, anise, ginger, cassia, and Sichuan pepper). It is creamy, not too strong, not too thick, and clean-tasting — a perfect curry to eat over rice, or alongside either roti prata (fried dough pancakes*, roti jala (lacy net pancakes), or a fresh french loaf.
I'm a FOODIE, not a professional cook!
I have never scraped together a curry paste from scratch, preferring the convenience of pre-made curry pastes. Nevertheless, convenience is never an excuse for an ordinary pot of curry. Through trial and error, I’ve learned a secret or two that adds additional layers of flavour to the basic chicken curry. The big secret? Leftover juices, bones, and skin of baked paprika chicken :))
I call my recipe 'Quick Singapore Chicken Curry' only because I don't make my own curry paste
I like to use my coveted Prima Taste brand Singapore Curry paste. I’ve searched high and low for this curry paste in all the Asian supermarkets in Düsseldorf that I know of, but to no avail. Last week, I found it finally in an Asian supermarket in Maastricht, NL. I was elated!! If you can’t find this curry paste in your city (A very probable scenario) you can substitute for yellow curry or for a spicier curry, red curry.
Note: a proper chicken curry needs to be simmered for a while to allow the flavours to get to know each other better. My chicken curry recipe won't be done in 30 minutes, but it contains a shortcut.
Everything you need to make a Quick Singapore Chicken Curry:
5 baked paprika chicken marylands (whole chicken legs)
2 Tbsp butter
240gm (2 medium) red onions, chopped
100 gm (2 small carrots), diced small
20 gm (3 cloves) garlic, roughly minced
120 ml juice from baked chicken marylands
650 gm (3 medium) potatoes, cubed
170gm curry paste
300 ml coconut milk
200 ml water
5 gm (1 tsp) white sugar
2 gm (approx 1/2 tsp) salt
2 gm (approx 1/2 tsp) ground black pepper
1 dash five-spice powder
How to make it:
First, you are going to break the chicken marylands down into (1) largely shredded meat pieces and (2) skin & bones.
To do this, pull back the chicken skin.
Tear off all visible meat with your fingers (discard the veins if you’re squeamish about eating those..I am).
Set skin & bones aside.
Once your chicken is prepared, heat butter in a medium pot and make sure bottom and lower sides of pot are coated. Add in diced onions and carrots and 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper. Saute till fragrant and onion is soft (about 4-5 min).
Add in minced garlic, chicken skin & bones, and baked chicken juices. Simmer on low heat till carrots are soft (approx 13-15 min).
Add curry paste, diced potatoes, coconut milk, and water. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes.
Add white sugar, five-spice powder, and shredded chicken. Simmer for 45 minutes.
As the chicken curry simmers, skim off excess oil with a flat spoon into a bowl to discard.
Taste test once more and add salt, sugar or anything else to your taste, if you like :)
Serve immediately, or reheat the next day. In my opinion, curry always tastes better the day after, when all the flavours have had ample time to get to know one another.
Note: If you do not have the time or energy to bake your own chicken before making a pot of curry, you can try substituting the following:
(1) Equal amount of Liquid Chicken Stock for the Baked Chicken Juices
(2) 5 Deli Chicken Marylands for the Baked Paprika Marylands
Disclaimer: I have not actually tried my recipe with the substitutes mentioned above, but a friend of mine who was pressed for time made the curry with these substitutes and still loved it. :)
What's YOUR favourite curry?
I made a heart out of the chopped carrot and onion pieces especially for all my readers. Yes, that includes YOU! <3
Follow @Foodie.warrior along on this journey.
I feature true blue Singaporean dishes and sharing recipes. Here are my other posts in this series:
Unravelling the Mystery of Singaporean Food: Launch of the SHIOK SHIOK series :)
SHIOK SHIOK #1: Har Cheong Gai - a 'Zhi Char' favourite of Singapore (contains recipe and verdict)
SHIOK SHIOK #2: Avocado Juice - Best Drink to Make with the Fruit of the Mayan Gods
thanks for the recipe and I am honest I love curry very much, I could eat everything with curry :D My favorite one is the north indian style and the and the Malay curry style, thanks through the journey of curry and btw sweet heart :) <3
Aww I got a heart back! :)) It's awesome that you like curry so much :) Good choices, I guess you can hold your spice quite well!
yeah I can hold spice quite well but I can not handle the real spice like in india , but I am not a typical European that can not handle spicy stuff at all, my best friend has always go to the toilet after eating spicy stuff hahah :P
HAHAHAHA! Yes, the tolerance level for spicy stuff is quite different in Europe..but I am not surprised that you can hold your spice well, even if it might not be so related, you do travel a lot and seem rather different from the typical German hehe
You make everything sound delicious with your description. I was so happy for you when you found your favorite curry paste. :) Love the heart made out of carrots and onions...so original. Once again, you have made me very hungry! :)
Hehe =DD thanks again, and my apologies again! :)
So sweet that you were happy for me! * heart melts *
Curry makes an appearance in most of my dishes especially grains, rice, legumes etc.
Wow, loads of eye-catchy dishes out there. Which one of these amazing foods should I even start from? 🤔
Hehe well, I'm not surprised..you do have a knack for using very sophisticated-sounding and cultural ingredients in your awesome recipes :))
Yes, this post is a little looong...that was what I felt as I wrote it..we simply have too many curry types in Singapore lol...I hope it didn't make your eyes cross :))
Haha. I love the Prima's instant curry paste. Definitely a must have for all Singaporean living abroad since finding any authentic Singaporean food is almost non-existential. The curry looks extremely tasty! Your recipe of using chicken maryland is an interesting way to cook. Normally, I'll just cook with raw chicken parts. Does it affect the flavor and the curry? I'd like to experiment with your recipe someday.
Definitely a must have for all Singaporean living abroad since finding any authentic Singaporean food is almost non-existential.
Truer words have not been spoken.. lol..I used to cook with raw chicken parts, I find this one a little more flavourful. :) Let me know if you try it and like it :)
I am so hungry after reading this post.. but I suck at cooking so i think i'll just resort to eating out..do you know any place in singapore you recommend..? always in the hunt for good local eateries.. All i know is the 前刀前 in geylang, which I only just realised through your post that it's a china style curry you mentioned :)
Dude, @kuenok!! I just realised I never got back to you!! I'm so sorry!!! Anyway, you are living in Singapore now? :))
Chinese curry: try the Hainanese beach road scissors cut curry rice from at 229 Jalan Besar, 208905
Indian curries: try Tekka Market hawker centre near Little India MRT station..you'll be spoilt for choice :)
Malay curries: I used to frequent a number of stalls as a child/teen with superb malay curry in Woodlands are in Singapore..however, I can't remember the addresses nor can I vouch if they are still there...you can always try ordering any curries at the Malay Food Stall in any coffeeshop or hawker centre ( my favourite Malay curries are the beef rendang curry, the yellow curry vegetable (same that is used in Lontong, and the black squid ink one).
Haha it's okay! Thanks for coming back to it :)
Yeap Im living in Singapore now, so Im pretty pumped to eat all these places you're mentioning! You clearly are a true foodie warrior! I look forward for more yumminess from you
hehe there's so much more yummy food in Singapore..When I lived in SG, I always asked my foodie friends or googled whatever i was craving..You can do the same whenever you crave stuff too :)
I tend to use the HungryGoWhere site ac lot cos I just like the sound of lol
hehe I used to read that rather faithfully too :))
That looks delicious! I will try to make it soon! Thanks @foodie.warrior
Great! Hope you like it @jbcoin :)
Very nice :) upvoted and followed.
Why don't you check my last post about food and best burgers in the world?
https://steemit.com/food/@notonlyfood/try-to-find-a-better-one-sciue-il-panino-vesuviano-2
I hope you will leave a vote
Thanks @notonlyfood. Posting your own links in comments on other's is not really the best practice to have here on steemit.
Nevertheless, good post with lotsa nice pictures! I left my upvote as well :)
Hey girl new follower from SBC group. up vote here. looks good
Thanks @hewetthomestead! :) See you around on Slack!
this would be yummy in my tummy right now! :)
Sending some over to you now :)
i used the Prima paste once and i have to say it's quite easy to work with 😎
It is indeed..those cooking and processing whizzes at Prima Taste =P It really justifies their premium price..
It looks so yummy.
It was :) Thanks for dropping by @jacklin :)
Nice food
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Wow, talking about appetizing! This is an awesome post. Well written, informative, and the pictures.... mmmmm, I'm so ready for some curry right now. My favorite style, judging from your description, would be the thick northern Indian / Japanese style. But the pics you took of your Singapore Chicken Curry look so good, and normally I'm not even a big chicken fan.
One question: there is a guy here (Mexico) who makes curry paste with coconut oil and lots (and LOTS!) of curcuma. Are you familiar with that kind, or is it a completely individual mix?
thanks so much for your kind input, @stortebeker! Coconut milk and turmeric are both common features of curry, especially yellow-style curry. I sometimes fry up my ingredients using coconut oil as well, but I feel that butter lends a better aroma to the pot hehe..that said, his style might very well be completely original and individual hehehe have you tried it? was it yummilicious? :)
From your curry choices, I'm guessing you're the type who enjoys very thick gravies ;)) Mann all this talk about curry makes me start to crave some again!!
Oh, I know! I just LOVE cooking with butter...! Coconut oil is is nice too, but it makes your food taste like coconut, which is not always what you want. That curry I mentioned sure is yummilicious, and so I shouldn't even care if it's authentic or uniquely individual. But reading such a great post by an obvious curry expert, I just had to ask. And yes, I love thick sauces of all kinds. I don't know if you've seen my goulash post, where I explained the difference between pörkölt and paprikás. As you guessed, I will always prefer the pörkölt. Take a look if you're interested. (The pics are not as pretty as yours.)
https://steemit.com/food/@stortebeker/goulash-the-most-famous-hungarian-dish-that-doesn-t-actually-exist
hehe I've heard that if you use refined coconut oil, it won't impart a coconut-y flavour to your dishes..I've tried that and it works half the time haha..it depends on the strength of the ingredients you cook together with the coconut oil too lol.. I checked out your post..I never thought about the difference between goulashes till i read it :)
Missed this one doll so unable to vote on it, but what a fantastic post. Would have resteemed this one. Sorry. Informative and a recipe too. You are one of the few people who cook with the bones, etc., but take them out and just serve with the meat. No mess but still the benefit from the flavour of skin and bones. This is one I must make. X
hehe yes, I made curry chicken a couple times with the bones in, but I find this method so much more convenient to dish out later :)) Plus easier to stir the pot too :))
Thanks for the compliment, it means a LOT coming from someone as accomplished in cooking as you are :)) Hope you like it whenever you make it!
Oh I am sure I will. It looked delicious and no horrible bits to fish out while eating. Many could learn a lot from you. I have lived a long time, that is why my knowledge is enhanced. Thank you for your kind words. X
Thanks you are so sweet..you sound very young though..but one thing's for sure, your knowledge is sure enhanced :))
Sorry, ancient, over 60! That is why I have so much knowledge, a life time in Industry. Thank you for being so nice. :)X
Wow! You have so much energy and so much computer know-how! :) You sure come across like someone half your age :)
As old as you feel Doll. Have to stay fit and active as too much to do. Taught Computers in England, applied IT not hardware, useless with that. :)X