Savory and slightly tangy creamy Malaysian Kapitan curry with the softest & juiciest chicken ever and delicious tender potatoes. This post is sponsored by the US Potato Board. All opinions are my own.
Love is in the air.
Yup.
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. Only Mr. V and I…. well, we don’t exactly do Valentine’s Day. At least not in a way where we go splurge money on overpriced stuff just to publicly demonstrate our love for each other. Nay. We’re cheap like that.
All we need is love really… and a lil chocolate cake every now and then, but yes love.
Even with a bad rap, I do believe that Valentine’s Day is a good time to do my yearly check.
Do I remember why I fell in love with him? I might if I try hard enough.
Do I tell him I appreciate him every day? Probably not (enough).
Do I cook enough chicken breast for him? Heck no!
So you see how Valentine’s Day is pretty useful as a reminder that it’s time to reinvigorate my love for my husband. Cue ‘Awwwwwwww’. And the way to his heart is of course through chicken breast and a non spicy curry.
Dubbed one of Mr. V’s favorite Malaysian curries, this Chicken & Potato Kapitan Curry is just the perfect thing for him. Savory and slightly tangy creamy curry with the softest & juiciest chicken breast ever and delicious tender potatoes.
Kapitan Curry is an adaptation from the Malaysian Indian Chicken Curry (which is spicier). It is a fusion of Malay and Chinese curry which explains the rich depth in flavor from the combination of ingredients like lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and coconut milk.
I love using potatoes in curries or anything stew-ish for that matter. It’s so hearty, healthy and a great addition to a dish that would’ve been primarily just meat. For this recipe, I use russet potatoes because I like that they almost fall apart when they’re done. If you like yours the exact opposite, feel free to use red or yellow potatoes instead.
Tips:
1. Marinating the chicken with yogurt is key to have juicy & tender meat.
2. Whole fat milk yogurt (instead of low fat) is used to decrease the chances of the curry curdling.
3. Since chicken breast is used, the meat is added much later (than the potatoes) and isn’t simmered for a long time. This is also key to tender and juicy meat.
4. Because there isn’t enough time for the chicken flavor to seep into the sauce, chicken stock (instead of water) is used to help boost the flavor in the sauce.
Love potato curries? Then you’re going to love this Potato Eggplant Kurma (Korma). Silky smooth, ultra thick & rich kurma (korma) curry. A great depth in flavor with only vegetables but use meat if you like. So delicious & addictive.
Or have a go at this Sambar. A flavor packed hearty and healthy lentil based curry stew from South India. Filled with a variety of vegetables, sambar is mildly spicy with a slight tang from the tamarind and tomatoes. Absolutely delicious.
And if you haven’t already, check out my last post Roasted Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu). Sticky, tender & moist pork that has been marinated in a sweet & savory concoction and roasted to perfection. Super simple to make at home and so delicious.
If you like what you see, don’t forget to subscribe and follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter to get the latest post updates. See you there!
Â
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, lightly pounded and cut into ¾" cubes
- ½ cup whole fat plain yogurt
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- Spice Paste
- 12 shallots (short variety), peeled
- 1½" galangal (blue ginger), peeled
- 1"ginger, peeled
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 8 dried cayenne chilies, deseeded and soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
- 8 candlenuts (or macadamia nuts)
- 4 lemongrass stalks (white parts only)
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp belacan (fermented shrimp paste in block form), optional
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup oil
- 10 fresh kaffir lime leaves, bruised
- 4 lemongrass stalks (green parts left from spice paste), cut into 3" length and bruised
- 1 large russet potato, cut into ¾" cubes
- 1½ cans 13.5 oz coconut milk
- 1¼ cup chicken stock
- 1 - 1½ tbs lime juice
- 2 - 3 tsp brown sugar
- 2 - 3 tsp salt
- Combine the yogurt, ground turmeric, salt and sugar. Pour over the chicken and marinate for 2 - 4 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry the chicken to remove excess marinade (This is to remove as much yogurt coating on the chicken as possible to avoid curdling in the curry). Bring chicken to room temperature.
- Add all the ingredients for the spice paste (except the oil) in a blender and blend until smooth. Add the oil into a pan, pour the paste in and fry the paste for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add the kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass stalks and fry for another 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat to medium high. Add the potatoes, coconut milk, chicken stock, lime juice, brown sugar and salt. Fry until liquid starts to boil. Turn to low heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Uncover, add the chicken and stir. Do not turn up the heat yet (This is to avoid a high difference in temperature for whatever yogurt's left, again to avoid curdling). After 30 seconds, turn the heat up to medium high. Once liquid starts to bubble, cover and simmer on low heat for 6-8 minutes or until chicken reads 165 F - 170 F. Any higher temperature and chicken may become dry and tough.
- Taste and season again. The curry should be slightly sweet, sour and spicy. To make it sweet or to balance out the sourness, add sugar. To increase in tang, add some lime juice. Add salt if it's too bland and add coconut milk to make it creamier. Serve with warm steamed rice.
Â
27 comments
I adore all chicken curry no matter where it comes from but Malaysian chicken curries are my favourite, either Kapitan or the more common one you find in many Malaysian places, so I can’t wait to try this.
I do have one concern though – looking at the the photos it doesn’t look like there is much sauce in this dish – or is it just how you’ve served it up for the photos or does this not have much sauce? In case you hadn’t guessed I like plenty of sauce in my curries 🙂
No worries. There’s plenty of sauce in this recipe. 🙂 It’s just for the photos like you said. Also, if you really do like more sauce, then you’d have to increase the ratio of the spice paste and add more liquid (water, stock or coconut milk). I love my curry with plenty of sauce too!!!
I have a love/hate with all your recipes. I love them because they’re obviously awesome, but I hate them because I don’t ever recognize half the ingredients. Maybe one day I’ll be as smart as you 🙂
Anyways, love the yogurt, nuts, lemongrass, kaffir…how good is that?!
Lol. I, on the other hand… love all your recipes to DEATH. No hate. :p Well, I kinda hate that you can make such good food without me being in the same city. A lil hate. 🙂
Great curry recipe! I love the spices you used combined with that coconut milk. The dish sounds perfect for this chilly weather 🙂
I love curry so much that even on the hottest days, I still eat them. But yes, comforting to eat during the winter that’s for sure. 🙂
Amazing blend of flavors, WOW! I am falling in love with your clicks, just awesome 🙂
Thank you Muna.
Sounds like an amazing medley of flavors and that chicken looks so moi st and delicious!
Thanks Holly. It is a medley of flavors indeed. And yes, super moist chicken. A chicken breast lover’s heaven really. 🙂
Oooooooo, so yumyum in my tumtum!!! I want!
Tum tum!!! 🙂
This flavor combination looks wonderful. I love the idea of tangy and creamy in one dish. This is the perfect dinner anytime.
Me too. The tanginess cuts the richness so it’s perfect…. like ice cream and bread pudding. Lol. I don’t know where that came from. 🙂
This curry looks amazing! I am going to have to try your recipe!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I think any form of curry is Ah-ma-zing! I love curries to death. Best eaten with roti, naan or coconut rice. Oh so good.
There definitely is nothing worse than hard potatoes in a curry. We usually cook with white potatoes but might give those russet potatoes a go next time. They sound delicious! Love your photos too – so appetising!
Some people like their potatoes intact… soft, but intact, while i like mine almost to the brink of melt in the mouth-ish. Plus, when some parts of the potatoes have cooked to a mush, they help thicken the sauce even more. Love love love that. 🙂
Oh yep. Completely get you there. Melt in your mouth potatoes are awesome – and lately we’ve been loving pumpkin like that too. Just had some in our hot pot tonight and it was sooooo good.
Oh yes…. soft pumpkins in hot pots. Yum! I found out about this when I was living in Taiwan and they serve sliced pumpkin for hot pots. Growing up, I’ve only known to make stir fry out of pumpkin. Yup. Had no clue about pumpkin desserts. :p
Hahaha well…we had the hot pot in Taiwan. We’re in Taipei at the moment and loving it!
I once made the mistake of using a fat-free yogurt for marinating. It was awful!! I usually have good luck with 2% or 4% greek yogurt. When a recipe calls for regular yogurt, I thin it with milk (2/3 yogurt to 1/3 milk) to get the right consistency. Thank you for pointing out not to use fat-free for cooking!!
Oh I’ve made that mistake countless times. As terrible as the curry ended up looking, it still tasted heavenly. I just had to close my eyes while I eat it. :p Great tip for those who only have Greek yogurt in their refrigerator. Thanks Renee!
We don’t really do the whole Valentine’s thing either. Nor do I show my appreciation enough all the time. But I do cook a lot for him – that’s love, right? 😉 This curry looks so delicious, and perfect!
Lol. Cooking for him is totally love. Unless… you’re like me who only cooks what I want to eat. :p Still love… just a different love?
Yep, me too – when I cook for my significant other, I cook stuff that I want to eat – totally! Can’t wait to try out your Curry Kapitan recipe – my mother used to make the best… Btw, the music accompanying the recipe is a nice touch 🙂
Haha Irene. So I’m not the only one who does that to ‘the significant other’. :p I’m sure your mother’s kapitan curry is awesome. I just love eating made from scratch curries. Oh, the music’s is from the video. I actually didn’t mean for it to have sound. Thanks for stopping by and dropping me a message.