Tuesday 22 June 2021

Lockdown Day #22 : My Super Sedap Kuzi Ayam

Back when I started blogging in 2012, we used to have quite a number of blog hop events. One of them was Malaysian Food Fest which showcased food from the states in Malaysia. Each month featured a different state and hosted by a different blogger.

It was fun because you could participate and have your dish featured in the final tally for the month. Through such events, I was motivated to try many recipes and learnt new dishes as I went along. Alas, those bloggers who were active in organizing such events have retired and no longer update their blogs.

It was through one of the events that I attempted Kuzi Ayam, a very delicious Kelantanese chicken curry.


Until today, I am not able to find rempah kuzi (kuzi spice mix) and have had to rely on making my own mix. At the Kuala Terengganu market, if you want rempah kuzi, the lady at the spice shop will ask you how much meat you want to cook and  then she will casually take a plastic bag and scoop spices from the many bags of spices arranged around her. She is like a master spice mixer.

I shall share the recipe again here (taken from the now discontinued Flavors Magazine).


Commit this to memory - 1 tablespoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon fennel powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder.

Put all these spices together and mix them all up to become a very aromatic spice mix.

This curry is easy in the sense that there is nothing to be blended unlike Kari Kapitan. But...you will have to peel and slice some onions and fry it until golden brown.


I admit, I would rather blend stuff rather than stand at the stove frying onions.


But what to do. The base of this curry and what makes it thick and delicious are browned onions. This is what you are looking for :


Then you briefly fry the chicken pieces in the aromatic onion oil, add in the kuzi spice mix and some liquids together with the fried onions.


Simmer until chicken is cooked and gravy is thick.


Raisins are also added into the curry at the end of the cooking. 


I have not eaten this curry in a long, long, time and when I tasted the gravy, I was like WOW! Sedapnya!!!

If you keep this curry overnight, it will taste even better. I am so glad I took the effort to revisit this Kuzi Ayam recipe.

Let me reproduce the recipe here because the one I posted earlier is so messy.


Kuzi Ayam
Recipe source : Adapted from here

Kuzi Spice Mix :
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground fennel
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Mix all the spices together and set aside

Ingredients :

- 1 kg chicken legs (3 large chicken legs, thigh and drumstick separated)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely pounded or crushed
- 1 tsp salt

- 350g big onions (about 4 big onions), thinly sliced
- enough oil for frying onions

- 4 tbsp black raisins

Liquid mixture. Mix together :
- 6 tbsp tomato puree
- 6 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 100 ml evaporated milk
- 400ml water (adjust according to how much gravy you want)

- Salt to taste

Method :
1. Marinate chicken with garlic and salt and set aside.
2. Heat enough oil in wok and fry sliced onions in two batches until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels.
3. Remove excess oil and leave about 4 tbsp of oil in the wok.
4. Briefly fry the raisins to plump them up, remove and set aside.
5. Add the chicken pieces and stir fry until chicken changes color.
6. Add the kuzi spice mix and continue to fry the chicken, coating with the spice mix and taking care not to burn the spices.
7. Add the fried onions and liquid mixture, stir and bring to a simmer. Stir every now and then to prevent burning.
8. Simmer for about 40 minutes or until chicken is tender. Season with salt to taste.
9. Add raisins and serve.

14 comments:

  1. Ooooo...BEAUTIFUL!!!
    Hey! Wait a minute!!! No pussies in today's post. LOL!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, sad that there were many really good bloggers, very active and very popular. I got to meet a few of them - they're all very nice but they are no longer active. Some are still around on Facebook and have frequent updates.

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    2. I really miss those days!

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  2. Your kuzi kari sure looked good. Never try it before, dont even know its existence!! Lol.

    Now I an into Mak Nyonya curry paste. Easier than make curry paste from scratch. I am super lazy. Hehe.

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    Replies
    1. Ready made curry paste sure makes life easier. I have yet to try any so far.

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  3. Hello Malaysia's Martha Stewart! I salute your passion to keep this cooking blog alive for so long.

    Your Super Sedap Kuzi Ayam is also my Super Sedap Kuzi Ayam! The colour of this curry is so nice and appetizing. During my 2 long trips to Kelantan when my wife had to work, I walked into their markets and saw makciks selling all kinds of freshly grounded rempah that reminds me of Thailand. Probably your rempah kuzi was in those mountain piles of rempah. Next time I will tapao for you ok.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aiyo..I am nowhere near Martha Stewart lah!

      The spices at the market are in big gunny sacks and the kakak is so expert, she can just scoop the various combinations according to what curry you want to cook. Amazing!

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  4. Wow! So delicious! This dish is not very spicy, right? Then I can eat it! Yummy! Thank you for writing down the recipe. With the frying of onions, I doubt I can get my family to cook it for me. You are keng! 💪 Cooking it from scratch. 👍yummy!😋😋😋

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    Replies
    1. Not spicy at all, perfect for those who are scared of chilies. LOL!

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  5. Eh, how is it when you didn't tumis any rempah sampai pecah minyak, the kuzi ayam ended up pecah minyak with more oil at the surface than your kari kapitan? Lol. I don't know much about this kuzi ayam dish as I don't think I've had it before. Are the raisins a prerequisite for this dish to be authentic as I remember you not liking raisins? I think I will prefer to eat your kari kapitan than your super sedap kuzi ayam...not based on taste but the look of the layer of oil...wuahahahaha! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The oil, lots of it, comes from the fried onions LOL! It's what makes the curry so sedap. But no worries, the oil can be easily scooped away or if kept if the fridge it will solidify and can be easily discarded. I think the raisins can be omitted and somehow I like raisins in savory dishes.

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  6. wow....looks tasty! I never try this dish before.

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    Replies
    1. You can look out for it at stalls that sell Kelantan food.

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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