owadays, recipes can be searched online with the click of a button, through Google, Youtube, Instagram and more. This is unparalleled to how Makcik Camalia learnt to cook her Curry Ayam -- solely by observing her mother cook in the kitchen. Her mother did not provide much guidance as she would be preoccupied preparing the dishes, but Makcik Camalia is an avid learner.
This dish is special and close to her heart as she learnt traditions from her mother that could not be learnt from the internet.
Makcik Camalia married at 15 years old so she was able to master cooking this dish at a young age for her family. Auntie Camalia has a long line of grandchildren, with some residing in Indonesia. Nothing brings her more joy than watching her children and grandchildren enjoy her home-cooked food. She would cook this dish almost every day for her children and they never get sick of it. Today, they are very fortunate that she sets aside time to teach them how to cook her favourite recipes.
My sister and I preparing ingredients
Khao Yam, before mixing
My dad, Chan
Her style of cooking Curry Ayam is unconventional as she loves the addition of chilli powder and Asam. The chilli brings in an extra kick, while the Asam adds a creamy mouthful with each bite. The curry is extremely fragrant, and no drop is wasted as she’d often dip the leftover curry with bread.
Makcik Camalia mentioned that she wishes to encapsulate her family heritage and recipes into a storybook and pass them down to her family in Singapore and Indonesia. She hopes to retain the legacy of these dishes by passing on the rich culture and flavours to future generations.
Auntie Camalia's Curry Ayam Dish
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Recipe by CamaliaCourse: MainCuisine: Malay, Peranakan, CurryDifficulty: Medium
Servings
4
servings
Prep time
30
minutes
Cooking time
40
minutes
Ingredients
1whole whole chicken, chopped
1wholered onion, chopped
1clove garlic, chopped
1inchginger, chopped
1rempah
1cupcurry leaves
1tbspchili powder
1wholepotato
1tomato, chopped
1tbspsugar
1/2cupcoconut milk
1red onion
5pcgreen chilli
5pcred chilli
Spices
1pccinnamon stick
2clovesgarlic
2pccumin seed
3cardamom
Garnishing
coriander leaf
Directions
Oil the pan, and fry the four spices: cinnamon, cardamom, garlic, cumin seeds
Add onion & ginger, stir fry until fragrant
Add curry powder, rempah, followed by chilli powder
Add more water if it dries up
Add in potatoes, chicken and tomatoes, cook for ~5 minutes
Add sugar, curry leaves, green & red chilli, cook for ~5 minutes
Letters to the Chef