Thursday 17 June 2021

Lockdown Day #17 : Kari Kapitan

Actually I cooked this Kari Kapitan yesterday lah. Because somebody said my Kari Kapitan very nice heh...heh...heh...

This is also my one of my mum's favorites and she did ask me the other day what the ingredients were. So today, because lockdown is the only time when I have plenty of time, let's do a Kari Kapitan tutorial. The recipe I used is here (and please excuse the ugly photos)

First up, ingredients for the spice paste. 


These days it is very hard to get shallots (they can be pricey too) which is why I substituted with big onions.


Back in the good old days we had to pound the spice paste by hand. How tiring and how messy because the juices from the ingredients will splash out and you have to watch out for chili getting into your eye (I kena before).


See, short while only kautim


Then you have to saute (tumis) the spice paste over medium fire. Remember, you need a lot of oil for proper tumis rempah or else the result will not be good. 

You have to stir frequently to prevent burning and if anyone ding dong outside and you need to answer the door, please take your pot off the flame.


I tell you, I really love this Dutch oven that I Happy Christmas To Me. Sangat berbaloi! (so worth it!) 

Coming back to the rempah, saute until it is aromatic and they tell you that you have to do until pecah minyak (oil rise to the top). I will be honest and tell you that I have never experienced pecah minyak in my life. The oil usually rises after I finish cooking hah..hah...

So how? Taste. When the rempah is still raw, it is bitter. The sauteing process cooks off the rempah and evaporates the excess liquids and therefore the oil should rise (I put a lot of oil but maybe still not enough). When it is adequately sauteed, the rempah will no longer taste bitter and you are good to go. I sauteed for about 15 minutes.


Then add in the chicken. Here I used 4 legs, thigh and drumstick separated. Stir the chicken to coat in the spice paste.


Then add santan (coconut milk). I used santan that comes in a box of 200ml and to that I added 100ml of water. Flame must be low when adding santan or else the santan will curdle.

Then increase the flame and bring to a gentle simmer.


I love adding kaffir lime leaves to the Kari Kapitan because I love the fragrance. I feel that it gives the curry more oomph!


I simmer the curry for about 40 minutes until the chicken is tender. Every now and then, I poke my spatula into the curry and give it a stir to prevent burning.

Now where are the potatoes you ask? You see, I always find it hard to fit the potatoes into the pot and cook it to the right doneness together with the chicken.

So. I steam the potatoes while the chicken is simmering.


About 20 minutes - it is almost cooked, still firm and could do with more simmering in the curry. 


Once the chicken is done, I remove them and add the potatoes (cut into chunks) to the curry.


This is also the time when I season the curry. It is so much easier to stir the gravy now and taste properly. I simmer the potatoes for about 15 minutes.

At the end of the cooking, squeeze some lime juice into the curry for a slight tang (I forgot to do it). The recipe also call for some sugar for a slight sweetness but I have omitted as I felt it unnecessary.


There you go. Kari Kapitan. As with most curries, it tastes even better the next day.


This is also very good for freezing. I used to cook stuff like this and stash it in the freezer for later. So convenient. Your own DIY frozen food that can give those commercial frozen food a run for their money heh..heh...


I don't usually put potatoes in Kari Kapitan but potatoes are so popular. They taste really good with curry and I find people mostly digging into the curry for the potatoes. Haiz...


Cook more rice when you are serving Kari Kapitan. You will need it!

19 comments:

  1. Your Kari Kapitan looks damn good. I followed your steps and could smell its fragrance in my nose. You are so clever to boil the potatoes separately. I tried cooking curry chicken and my potatoes were half cooked.

    Since you packed and kept some in your freezer, means I can order one pack from you! Please!!!!! GrabTM is only 2 minutes from your gate.

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    1. LOL! Maybe in exchange for the delicious TTDI nasi kandar!

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  2. i m drooling over the Kari Kapitan! GrabTM, please help me to deliver to my house too!!!
    Does ah Belle & Girl go over to the kitchen to sniff sniff the Kari Kapitan? i can't imagine the aroma in the kitchen when u cooked this....must be so fragrant!!!

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    1. LOL! Belle and Girl were outside, so they missed the kari kapitan hah..hah..

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  3. Thanks for giving me an idea on how it is done properly! I normally short cut.. using Tean paste and yours is from scratch... yes, I will try your method one day!

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    1. Using paste will be so much easier. But me I am a bit fussy. Using paste is like "cheating". LOL!

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  4. Wowwwww!!! Cooked from scratch! That's one helluva beauty, must taste so good. Too bad I can't get to taste it.

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    1. I am sure your missus can cook this with much success!

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  5. Give me the potatoes! No need to give me the chicken! Lolx! You are so diligent! Your curry is so sedap! What brand of santan do you use? Ayam brand?

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  6. Since your kari kapitan was very laku, your partner must have loved it for you to cook it again. I think you're right, you never experienced "pecah minyak" because you didn't use enough oil (your kari certainly doesn't look oily or all that spicy). Perfect for me....your tutorial made it very easy for us to follow your recipe. I see you don't tear the kaffir lime leaves before throwing in (I was told it's supposed to release its fragrance if torn...or is that an old grandma story?) That's a great tip on how to cook the potatoes perfectly too (steaming it till it reaches that perfect softness that you want) coz it's difficult to know at which point we should add the potatoes. Sometimes some of the potatoes are not cooked enough because they could be at the top and not stirred in. I was also not aware that we're supposed to add the santan in at the beginning (I always thought it's added at the end when the curry is almost done) to simmer with the chicken. By the way, do you simmer with the lid uncovered? I have never cooked a curry in my life...this may very well be my first if I attempt to make it. Hmmm, we'll see. P/S: So you have two Dutch ovens...one for cooking...and one for serving...kekeke! ;)

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    1. There is always a first time, my dear! Tearing the kaffir lime leaves releases the fragrance much better (more intense). I did that with the initial kaffir lime leaves but left the later ones intact just for decoration. I simmer the curry with the lid covered but I leave a small gap so that it does not over boil. Some dishes require the santan to be added at the end while some the santan is added at the beginning. Ah! I transferred the curry to the other Dutch oven for nicer presentation hee..hee..

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  7. Wow! Thanks for this PH. Now will definetly be trying it out. It looks amazing and soooo tasty... I'm drooling :)

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    1. You are welcome! Now, please go and cook the kari kapitan. LOL!

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  8. I think those that obtain "pecah minyak" use a lot of oil when they "tumis" the paste. Later, there will be a layer of oil on top of the curry when the curry is at rest. I too do not use extra oil so no "pecah minyak" for me. Your kari kapitan is really beautiful and makes me drool just looking at it. I too prefer the potatoes to the chicken, and lots of the curry gravy please for bread dipping. Yums!

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    1. Yes, the amount of oil can be scary LOL! I like lots of gravy because that is what people fight over too. LOL!

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  9. No wonder someone likes it. Your curry looked creamy and thick. I never tasted kari kapitan before though.

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    1. I hope you get to taste it because it is a very tasty nonya curry.

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  10. Your Curry Kapitan makes me wanna get a bowl of rice and pair with it, right in front my PC! It is compatible with fried Meehoon too, do you eat like this too?

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