Malaysian Chicken Curry Kapitan with Roti Jala

This Chicken Curry Kapitan is a product of centuries of migration to, and colonization of, the Malay Peninsula by Indians, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and British and is an inspired adaptation by Malay cooks. I first encountered this curry near Phuket, Thailand on the Malay Peninsula close to the border with Malaysia, a region where a part of the multi-cultural Peranakan or Baba Nyonya ethnic group (also called Straits Born Chinese) resides and Thai and Malay cuisines overlap. But this is a curry like no other and it beautifully incorporates Malaysia’s complex political and culinary history.

I’ve been captivated by curries for many years from the time I first tasted an incredibly hot, but addictive curry in a London curry house and thought curries were exclusively Indian dishes. In English, the word “curry,” derived from the southern Indian word kari (“a spiced dish of sautéed vegetables and meat”) means both a spiced meat or vegetable stew or mixture of basic spices such as turmeric, cumin, coriander, chilies and fenugreek, fresh or powdered, homemade or purchased, often creatively blended with additional spices in other cultures.

When I later traveled, I savored curries prepared by Indians (aloo gobi, pork vindaloo, biryani, korma, rogan gosh, dal makhan, kofta), Thais (mussamun beef curry, kaeng kari, gaeng hyng lay, gaeng garee, various green curries), English (chicken ikka masala, mulligatawny soup), Malaysians (various Nyonya and non-Nyonya curries), Indonesians (rendang, gula, sambal goreng), South Africans (bobotie, kerrie), Dutch (rendang with ristaffel), Chinese (galimian), Portuguese (goan fish and goan shrimp curries, pork vindaloo, peri peri chicken), Jamaicans (curry goat) and Americans (Country Capitan). A basic combination of turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek and chilies is often the common thread between these meat or vegetable stews.

Curry is possibly the most widespread dish in the culinary world. Food historians speculate that curries may have been eaten as far back as 2,500 B.C.E. But how could one dish seduce a large swath of the globe?

Colleen Taylor Sen in her Curry, a Global History* identifies the Indian subcontinent, a bountiful spice-growing region, as the birthplace of curry and concludes the global spread of curry resulted from the migration of people and spices. How curry came to Malaysia is a remarkable story of culinary mobility through history.

For centuries, the Malay Archipelago, a trade crossroads between the Indian Ocean and the Orient, was a wealthy, diverse, and politically important region. When 3^rd century Indian traders and Buddhist monks brought Hinduism and Buddhism to South-East Asia, they also brought tamarind, garlic, shallots, ginger, turmeric and black pepper. These early traders established an ancient spice route whose control was fought over time and time again in the next hundreds of years.

In the 8^th century, Arab traders followed that route, bringing Islam as well as kabob, kofta, biryani and other meat, rice dishes and stews, and introduced the use of cloves, nutmeg and other spices.

Later arriving Indian muslims brought cinnamon, curry leaves, cumin, cardamom and fenugreek. Neighboring Thais popularized use of lemongrass. These herbs and spices, common to Indian and Thai cooking, were planted and cultivated on the Malay Peninsula and incorporated into Malay cooking. In the 15^th century, still other Indians followed looking for gold, spices, local produce and tin; some stayed and married local women who learned to cook curry for their spouses.

Chinese traders sailed through the Straits of Malacca to trade spices in the 15^th century; some came as part of an entourage of a Chinese bride for the Malaccan Sultan. According to Colleen Taylor Sen, these immigrants added “soy sauce, tofu, and bean sprouts and the technique of stir frying” to Malay cuisine. Chinese settled on the Malay Peninsula, married Malay women and established the Peranakan Nyonya, a culturally and culinarily distinct ethnic group that currently inhabits parts of southern Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

Colonization of the Malay Peninsula by non-Asian powers began during the Age of Discovery. The Portuguese conquest of Malacca in 1511 created the principal base of a South East Asian global trading kingdom. The Portuguese traded fruits, vegetables, nuts and spices but most importantly, introduced chilies, which were quickly adopted by local cooks in lieu of expensive white pepper. In 1641, the Dutch navy conquered the Portuguese and the Dutch East India Company assumed control of the spice trade, ruling Malacca and Java for 183 years. The Dutch provided local cooks with Malay language cookbooks containing recipes for Dutch, Indian and other European dishes.

Then, in 1786, the British East India Company, with permission of a local sultan, established operations in Georgetown, the capital of Penang Island in the Straits of Malacca to trade consumer goods for spices to feed a hungry Europe, eventually securing Malacca from the Dutch by treaty in 1824. British officials soon arrived to administer British Malaya with English-language cookbooks, Indian domestic servants and cooks.

Each of these traders and colonizers left a significant mark on Malaysia’s culinary practices which makes Malaysian cuisine a delicious, beautifully balanced and sophisticated fusion of Indian, Chinese, Portuguese, Thai, Middle Eastern with native Malay flavors.

Long before the arrival of foreign traders and colonial powers, Malay cooks prepared meat dishes with local spices and herbs. But as Indian cooks prepared their traditional curries for colonial officials utilizing traditional Indian spices then available in Malaya, their preparations were more generally adopted and combined with Malay recipes in Peranakan Nyonya kitchens.

The resulting hallmark of Nyonya dishes is their blending of spices, using pungent roots (galangal, turmeric and ginger) and aromatic leaves (pandan, kaffir lime and curry) with other ingredients (candlenuts, shallots and chilies). Peranakan dishes have the tangy flavor of tamarind, candlenuts, fresh root and shrimp paste (belacan).

The main clue about the origin of the Chicken Curry Kapitan is probably its name –Kapitan. Historical records show that the name kapitan was the title of an Indian or Chinese leader in Penang when Mallaca was conquered by the Portuguese. Under Portuguese administration, each ethnic group had to designate a community leader who was given that title. The Kapitans were the local business elite. The Dutch continued this practice when they took over in the 17th century, and so did the British later.

No one knows the name of the particular Kapitan for whom this dish was named. Perhaps, as some historians assert, kapitan was used in the dish’s name merely to distinguish it from non-Nyonya chicken curries. (Chicken Curry Kapitan sounds similar to American Country Captain but the similarity ends with the name, although the origin of the name may be the same.)

Chicken Curry Kapitan follows classic Nyonya cooking with several preparation steps: marinating the chicken; preparing a homemade curry paste (rempah) and finally adding coconut milk and stewing the ingredients together. However, each family has its own recipe with a variety of additional ingredients and its own marinating and cooking process.

The resulting Chicken Curry Kapitan is richer, drier and thicker than the standard Indian chicken curry. It combines the characteristic Southeast Asian hot, sour, salty and sweet tastes with the aromatic curry flavor. The chicken falls off the bone into a luscious, complex sauce that is more full-flavored the next day. Clearly, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

I serve this curry with roti jala, a Malaysian net bread (recipe below) for mopping up the flavorful sauce and rice.

Chicken Curry Kapitan

For the marinade:
2 tablespoons turmeric, ground
1 tablespoon flaky sea salt
2.25 pounds (1k) chicken thighs and drumsticks, bone and skin on
4 tablespoons water

For the spice paste:
20-40 small dried chilies, seeds and membrane removed
1 fresh red chili, seeds and membrane removed, roughly chopped
1.75 ounces (50g) fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1.75 ounces (50g) fresh galangal, peeled and roughly chopped**
4 lemongrass stalks, tender part only
0.75 pound (340g) shallots, roughly chopped
1 ounce (28g) candlenuts (substitute with macadamia nuts)
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For final cooking:
4 ounces (118ml) sunflower or canola oil
17 ounces (500ml) thick coconut milk (full-fat)
3-4 tablespoons Malaysian curry powder (see recipe below)
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole star anise
3 whole cloves
3 cardamom pods
2 lemongrass stalks, bruised
4 kaffir lime leaves
2 chicken stock cubes
2 tablespoons palm sugar, grated*** (substitute with brown sugar)
1.75 ounces (50g) tamarind paste
4-5 russet potatoes, small, peeled
1 tablespoon Malay shrimp paste (belacan or other shrimp paste), optional****
Juice of ½ lime

Mix turmeric, salt and water in a large non-metallic bowl. Add chicken pieces, rubbing turmeric mixture all over the chicken.

Marinating chicken

Cover and chill overnight.

To the right from lemongrass in center: garlic, cardamom, cloves, star anise, shallots, kaffir lime eaves,macadamia nuts, cinnamon stick, red chilies, ginger, galangal, tamarind paste.

Preparing spice paste: Soak dried chilies in hot water for 30 minutes until soft. Drain. Cut each chili in half lengthwise with a sharp knife or scissors, removing membranes and seeds. (This step removes much of the heat of the chilies, leaving the fruity flavor. 20 chilies without seeds and membranes produce a mildly spicy sauce.) Mix chilies and other paste ingredients together and purée in a processor or blender until smooth. Set aside.

Spice paste

Heat oil in a deep wok or large, heavy-based saucepan until 350˚F (180˚C). Brown chicken in batches for 3 minutes a side. (No need to cook completely at this stage.)

Browning chicken

Drain chicken pieces on paper toweling. Set aside.

After browning chicken, carefully pour off half of the oil into a heatproof container. Then, reduce heat to medium and add spice paste to the remaining oil in the wok and fry until fragrant, stirring constantly about 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and return the chicken to the wok, slowly adding coconut milk (Add coconut milk in small amounts stirring constantly so that it doesn’t burn.) Then stir in lemongrass, lime leaves, curry powder, cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves and cardamom pods and cook for another 5 minutes. Then add stock cubes, sugar and tamarind paste. Cover and gently simmer on the stove or bake in a 350˚F(180˚C) oven for 1 hour. Add potatoes and continue simmering or baking for another 30 minutes until chicken is tender and potatoes are cooked. Discard lemongrass, cinnamon stick, lime leaves and star anise.

Optional but highly recommended: After chicken is tender, stir in shrimp paste, lime juice and salt to taste.

Serve with roti jala, steamed rice and lime wedges.

Malaysian Curry Powder

This fragrant curry powder is unavailable in most Asian supermarkets in the US. Nyonya families make their own to enhance the flavor of a Chicken Curry Kapitan. This recipe can be halved and used for other curry dishes.

6 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons fennel feeds
2 tablespoons fenugreek seeds
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons uncooked Basmati rice
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
5-6 whole cloves
1 star anise
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
1 3-4 inch (7.6 – 10.2 cm) cinnamon stick, cracked into pieces
15 dried chilies
6 tablespoons ground turmeric

In a heavy bottomed frying pan at low heat, slowly stir fry all spices except turmeric until fragrant but not burned, approximately 10-15 minutes.
Transfer spices from frying pan to another container to prevent burning and cool to room temperature before grinding.

Grind spices into a fine powder using a coffee grinder or spice grinder. Add turmeric to the ground spices. Mix well.
Store curry powder in a lidded glass jar. If tightly sealed, this curry powder will retain its flavor for 1 year.

Yield: 10.5 ounces (300 g)

Roti Jala (net bread, adapted from malaysianfood.net)

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup water
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
3 tablespoons vegetable cooking oil to grease pan

Combine coconut milk, eggs, water, salt and turmeric powder in a bowl of food processor or blender. Pulse to combine.

Sift all-purpose flour into a mixing bowl. With the processor or blender running, add flour into egg mixture to achieve a light, lump-free batter (a thin crepe-like batter). Strain batter through a fine sieve.

On medium-low heat, grease and heat griddle or a medium sized non-stick pan. Put a ladleful of batter into a roti jala cup or a squeeze bottle with a small opening. (I used a squeeze bottle.) Drizzle batter on to hot griddle or pan (about 8 -10 inches (20-25 cm) in diameter) to form a thin lacy pancake. (Add a little water to the batter if it becomes too thick.)