Nyonya Chicken Curry

 

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 5-6

 

Ingredients

3 Tbs coconut cream
10 sprigs of curry leaves
1 star anise
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/2 kg chicken thigh fillets
500g baby chat potatoes, peeled, halved and parboiled
2 bird's eye chillies deseeded and halved lengthways
500ml coconut milk
1 Tbs salt
1 tsp sugar

Rempah (wet spice paste)
3 Tbs ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground fennel

15 dried long red chillies*, deseeded*, soaked in boiling water until soft, drained and chopped
20g belacan
25g fresh turmeric root, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled, sliced
270g red eschallots OR Spanish onion, peeled, sliced
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Coconut Rice
2 cups jasmine rice
2 cups coconut milk
1 3/4 cup water
1 pandan leaf shredded by hand and tied into a knot
1/2 tsp salt

* Dried chillies – There are several types of dried chillies. For this recipe please choose the type that are about finger sized. The smaller ones are very hot and the broader, larger ones mild. Also please never replace dried chillies with fresh ones as they don't impart the smokiness of flavour and depth of colour required for this dish.

* Deseeding chillies – Before soaking, snip chillies into quarter segments with scissors into a colander with largish holes and then shake the seeds out.

 

Method

To make the rempah, blend the rempah ingredients until you achieve a fine paste.
Heat heavy based saucepan or wok, to a medium heat. Add rempah, coconut cream, curry leaves, star anise, cloves and cinnamon stick and saute for about 10 minutes. You will know the paste is ready when it thickens, darkens in colour and the oil begins to separate from the mixture. Add chicken pieces and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add potatoes, chillies, coconut milk, salt and sugar. Cover and simmer until chicken and potatoes are cooked through.

For coconut rice, add water and coconut milk in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add rice, and pandan leaf and return to the boil, then reduce heat to medium and stir well. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Drain and fluff with a fork.

Serve with roti canai and a side of cucumber

 

Malaysia Airlines Sends Tastebuds Soaring With MasterChef Poh's Signature Dish

Malaysia Airlines is taking onboard catering to new heights with the introduction of a sizzling new Signature Dish from MasterChef favourite, author and TV presenter Poh Ling Yeow, available for three months only on flights from 1st December 2014.

Poh's Nyonya Chicken Curry with a roti-style croissant will soon feature on the Business Class menu of all outbound flights from Australia and New Zealand to Kuala Lumpur, giving passengers a taste of her family's 'special occasion" go-to meal. The dish will also be available as part of the MH Gourmet service which allows Economy Class guests to replace their complimentary meal with a delectable fine-dining feast.

'Nyonya Chicken is such a definitive Malaysian dish and definite crowd pleaser," Poh said. 'It is so loved in my family that it has a permanent, albeit out-of-place, position next to the other festive goodies on our Christmas table every year!" The collaboration is a first for Malaysia Airlines in this region and just the third under the watch of Chef Zahiddin Dris, the airline's executive chef and developer of the carrier's menus worldwide. He has utilised the talents of Amandine Chaignot, Chef de Cuisine from the Raphael Hotel in Paris, for the Paris to Kuala Lumpur menus and Irish-born Michelin Star Chef Richard Corrigan for London to Kuala Lumpur flights.

Poh, also a Logie-nominated TV presenter and artist, says she has combined her knowledge of Australian palates and love of Malaysian cuisine in developing a Signature Dish that soars.
'Australia's produce is world-class and the proximity to Asia has broadened our culinary sense of adventure over the past few decades," Poh said. 'Australians appreciate Malaysian gastronomy because it's a very unpretentious, inclusive food culture and the fusion of Malay, Indian and Chinese influences has created an incredibly diverse, vibrant and unique cuisine.'

Regional Senior Vice President of Malaysia Airlines, Mr PK Lee, said the airline was always seeking to build on its reputation for excellence in hospitality.

'Our Malaysian heritage places great importance on cuisine and developing high quality dishes helps shape a memorable experience and journey for our guests," Mr Lee said.
Malaysia Airlines utilises Australian produce and expertise at every stage of its food supply chain.

The premium international carrier first partnered with one of Australia's largest privately owned caterers, Alpha Flight Services, eight years ago. Today Alpha is a world leader in Halal principles and meets the airline's exacting standards in supplying 1.5 million meals annually.

Almost all of the produce is sourced locally and includes 56,000kg of red meat, 190,000kg of chicken, 21,000kg of seafood and 280,000 kg of fruit and vegetables, mopped up with half a million bread rolls each year.

'We audit our menus and processes regularly to ensure we're meeting customer needs and, given Poh's pedigree and expertise, we expect the latest initiative to resonate strongly with our business class flyers," Mr Lee said.