So, from my Rempah series I do need to follow up with Singapore’s very own Curry Chicken. This is a part of my childhood where ‘poh poh’ aka grandma used to make her chicken curry from scratch. We did talk about her Rempah, essentially now mine, and how much we take pride in it. Back in the early 80s, premade Rempah almost did not exist. Even as food offerings started to emerge in the late 80s and early 90s, poh poh will still insist on pounding her own Rempah. Such was the old generation, who took much pride in what they did – they owned it.
Therefore, these were not allowed, they were frowned upon.
I cannot totally remember poh poh’s curry chicken. But it is elusive in that it is very specific to Singapore, or at least Singapore and Malaysia. It has a much lighter and fresher taste as compared to the Indian curries, yet it has a stronger taste and deeper texture compared to the Thai ones. All I can do is try and try again to replicate that taste, which is homely and comforting.
I’ve featured my base Rempah recipe in my Rempah post. Now I shall build on it to create the curry chicken.
Preparation time: 1- 1.5 hours
Method:
- Repeat the steps of frying and preparing the Rempah.
- Fry the chicken parts and potatoes together with the Rempah and render the fat from the meat.
- Add 5 cups of chicken stock (for one whole chicken) and bring to a boil.
- Lower heat when it is boiling and add in the small standard packet of coconut cream (200g).
- Throw in 4-5 stalks of whole lemon grass.
- Boil on low heat to reduce. This normally takes up to an hour.
The chicken should be fall-off-the-bone tender after. The fragrance of the lemon grass should be distinct, which will balance the intensity of the Rempah.
There you have it. My elusive poh poh’s Singapore Curry Chicken!
Dunkle
Latest posts by Dunkle (see all)
- The Chinese Herbal Chicken Soup - July 20, 2020
- Classic Cheeseburgers with Brioche Buns - July 14, 2020
- My ‘Hock Hai’ Curry Noodle - June 12, 2020