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5.0 from 6 votes

Malaysian Chicken Kapitan (Kapitan Kari)

Kapitan Chicken is wonderfully creamy, fragrant Malaysian curry - this Nyonya dish is a prized favourite in Malaysia and you'll understand why once you taste its amazingly flavourful sauce.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 6
Calories: 872 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Malaysian

Ingredients

Spice paste
  • 1 cup shallots (peeled & roughly chopped)
  • 2 lemongrass stalks (white parts only, very finely sliced - or pounded)
  • 4 lices galangal (fresh)
  • 2 tsp fresh turmeric (about 2-inch/4cm)
  • 4 garlic cloves (peeled)
  • 8 candlenuts (or macadamia nuts)
  • 1 tsp shrimp paste
  • 2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder (or paprika)
  • 1 tsp Malaysian Curry Powder (or mild curry powder)
  • 1 tsp salt
Other
  • 4 tbsp coconut oil (or vegetable/peanut etc)
  • 2.2 lb skinless & boneless chicken thighs (cut into chunks) (about 1kg)
  • 2 cups coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp tamarind pulp (mixed with 1/2 cup water)
  • 8 small potatoes

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Using a food processor or hand blender, blend all the spice paste ingredients together into a smooth paste.
  2. In a work or deep pan, heat the oil over a moderate heat until hot. Add the spice paste and stir fry for 10 minutes. If it begins to stick a little.
  3. Add the chicken and stir fry for a further 2-3 minutes before pouring in the coconut milk, 2 cups water and the tamarind water. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Add the potatoes and submerge. Reduce the heat to medium/low and simmer gently (uncovered) for 30-40 minutes, stirring regularly until the potatoes are soft.
  4. Serve Kapitan Chicken with lots of fluffy jasmine rice and some fresh elements like tomato, cucumber and cilantro on the side.

Notes

  • Machine blending - I use an immersion blender to create the Kapitan Chicken curry paste, a bullet blender creates excellent results too. You can use a regular blender, food processor or use a pestle & mortar too. If you use a pestle & mortar, grind the ingredients one by one in this order: Galangal, lemongrass, candlenuts, shallots, turmeric, garlic and then stir in the remaining paste ingredients.
  • Batch Curry Paste - Make a large batch of curry paste and freeze it! It will cut a massive chunk out of the preparation time.
  • Serving - Serve this curry with lots of Jasmine rice or frozen paratha bread (you can find this at any Indian supermarket/store).
  • Alternative meats - Try with pork, beef or lamb. You’ll need to cook the meat for longer (about 1½ hours), so add a little more water and then the potatoes in the last 30 minutes.
  • Fridge storage – Kapitan Chicken will stay fresh in the fridge 5-7 days
  • Freezer storage – Chicken Kapitan is a good option for freezing, although the potato can get a little mushy during reheating, either endure there’s no potato in your frozen leftovers, or just be happy that it’s so tasty, albeit with a little mushy potato. Choosing a waxy potato will help avoid too much break-up.

Nutrition Information

Calories 872kcal (44%) Carbohydrates 64g (21%) Protein 36g (72%) Fat 54g (83%) Saturated Fat 30g (150%) Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 172mg (57%) Sodium 590mg (25%) Potassium 1934mg (55%) Fiber 8g (32%) Sugar 8g (16%) Vitamin A 340IU (7%) Vitamin C 61mg (68%) Calcium 95mg (10%) Iron 7mg (39%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 872

% Daily Value*

Calories 872kcal 44%
Carbohydrates 64g 21%
Protein 36g 72%
Fat 54g 83%
Saturated Fat 30g 150%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 172mg 57%
Sodium 590mg 25%
Potassium 1934mg 41%
Fiber 8g 32%
Sugar 8g 16%
Vitamin A 340IU 7%
Vitamin C 61mg 68%
Calcium 95mg 10%
Iron 7mg 39%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.