Only recently was I exposed to the wonderful world of cooking curry, I attended an Indian cooking class and learnt all about the fragrant methods and ways to bring exotic spice and taste to your meals.

My passion for curries only increased from there, and I know that many of my readers also love curry! Last week, I was visiting a Malaysian friend of mine, I saw her cooking the easiest Chicken Curry ever – I had to share this with you all to show that you can get a gorgeous meal cooked in less then an hour using only 1 cheat ingredient – that would be the pre made curry sauce.

Malaysian curry is cooked in most Malay homes, and is one of their staple meals – probably like our good ol’ steak and 3 veg is (or used to be) in Australia.

Many Malay dishes center around a Rempah  (Curry)- which is a spice paste or mixture that is very similar to an to an Indian Masala.

The curry is made up by grinding fresh or dried herbs and spices to create a paste which is spicy and fragrant, this is then traditionally sautéed in oils to bring out the aromas.

This recipe eliminates the need to grind, chop and prepare your own curry because you can get some very good quality curry pastes from many Asian/Indian grocery stores and achieve the same result without the hard work. (I did say that this was the EASY Malaysian Chicken Curry didn’t I?!)

Lets get cooking!

Serves: 4 – 6

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes.

Ingredients:

Chicken – drumsticks cut into halves – 2kgs approx. (alternatively you could use chicken thighs with the skin left on. (The skin melts down and adds to the richness of the dish)

Potatoes – 5 Chat potatoes, peeled and cut into halves

Onion – 1 large brown onion, peeled and sliced thinly

Green Beans – handful of green beans

1x Packet Malaysian Curry Paste – I used a brand called ‘Mama Teoh’ which I picked up from an Asian grocery store

Hard boiled eggs on serving. (optional)

1 cup water or coconut milk if you like a heavier texture

Alternatively, I followed my friends example and used desiccated coconut to thicken the sauce. It’s lighter and not as fatty as a coconut cream.

Method:

Using a tablespoon of oil (I used olive oil) start cooking your onions lightly and then add your chicken to brown lightly.

Next, add your liquid (1 cup of water or coconut milk), followed by your curry paste.

Add potatoes, and bring your pot to the boil and simmer for half an hour or 45 minutes until potatoes are soft – If sauce is too wet, you can add desiccated coconut to absorb the liquid.

Finally, a few minutes before you finish cooking, add green beans to sit on top of the curry and allow to steam for a few minutes before serving.

You can add some hard-boiled eggs, which have been cut in half to serve as well.

Serve on a bed of steamed rice and enjoy!