Kari Ayam (Indonesian Chicken Curry)
Photo: Midori, CC BY 3.0
Kari ayam is an Indonesian chicken curry that gets its flavor from a fresh ground paste instead of Indian curry powder. Candlenuts thicken the sauce, while galangal, turmeric, lemongrass, and a little fermented shrimp paste give it depth. Palm sugar tips it toward sweet, and optional chiles bring heat. It cooks in a single wok in about fifteen minutes once the paste is ground, and it works equally well with fish, shrimp, or lamb.
Instructions
Rinse the chicken and set it aside. Put the garlic, ginger, ground candlenuts, turmeric, galangal, chiles if using, and terasi in a food processor or mortar and grind them to a smooth paste. This paste is the bumbu.
Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add the paste and cook it for about 1 minute, until it smells fragrant.
Add the chicken and turn the pieces in the paste until they are browned on the outside.
Stir in the shallots, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and salam leaves. Sauté for about 1 minute, until the shallots begin to soften.
Pour in the coconut milk, add the gula jawa and salt, and bring to a light boil. Taste and adjust the salt.
Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with rice, such as nasi putih, nasi kuning, or nasi uduk, and top with fried shallots if you like.
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