mama lams curry paste
Search
Close this search box.

Malaysian Curry Chicken

Authentic Malaysian Curry Chicken served over rice

Servings: 2 people
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
Oil
1 Potato (peeled and diced)
1 lb chicken (deboned – if preferred – and diced)
2 Tbs Mama Lam’s Curry Paste
Salt (if preferred)

 Directions:

1. Pour oil into a pan and wait until heated.
2. Once the pan and oil is heated, slowly put the potatoes in. 
3. Fry the potatoes until golden. Remove from pan and set it aside.
4. Heat a pan and once heated, add the chicken and curry paste. 
5. Sauté the ingredients until the chicken and the paste look dry or about 10 minutes.  6. Mix the potatoes in with the chicken. Sprinkle in the salt if you would like.

A Great Curry Chicken Recipe

There are unlimited ways of making Malaysian-style chicken curries and various recipes to discover. This particular one is considered a dry curry but it is quick and easy, and very versatile. With just a few easy-to-find ingredients, you can learn how to cook curry chicken at home.

Curry chicken with potatoes is a common dish in Malaysia and there are different variations: Chinese, Malay, Nyonya, and Indian.Malaysia is made up of a few ethnic groups which is why their cuisine has a unique blend of flavors and would vary from group to group. Mama Lam’s curry chicken potato dish has more of a Chinese Malaysian style to it. So, why not introduce this recipe to your friends and family? 

Depending on how hungry you are, this recipe is perfect with a side of vegetables, bowl of rice or roti canai – the Indian inspired, Malaysian flatbread.This dish is perfect  to make for your family and friends because you can add all the ingredients to one big pot. Even though it’s very simple, you’ll still impress everyone at your next dinner party.

Our Malaysian curry paste is already packed with flavor. The aromatic blend of curry powder, garlic, shallots, and our savory hot sauce means you don’t need to add much else. One of the best things about our curry paste is that it can go with a variety of ingredients. If your friends and family are vegetarian, vegan, or simply don’t like chicken then there are some alternatives you can try. Here are some suggestions to help you. 

Alternatives to chicken

If you don’t want to use chicken you could swap it for shrimp or veggies. For a delicious vegetarian version, you could use a mix of vegetables or tofu. I would recommend tofu puffs, green beans, cabbage, carrot, and eggplant. You can mix and match it’s up to you. It tastes great with any ingredient!

Other alternatives are, tomatoes, broccoli, pumpkin, okra, and cauliflower, which all taste great in curries. Simply add the vegetables to the pot instead of the chicken. Pumpkin might take a little longer to cook, so make sure you check they’re softened enough or cook them before adding to the pot.

Shrimp is another option if you aren’t a fan of chicken. Add the oil and potatoes to start as normal. Then add the peeled shrimp. Shrimp won’t take as long to fry as chicken. Cook them for two or three minutes. Shrimp is a delicious alternative to chicken and also featured in several Malaysian curry recipes. 

Add more spice

If your friends and family are brave enough you could make this curry chicken recipe even spicier. You could try adding dried or fresh chilies or Mama Lam’s Malaysian Hot Sauce. It’s up to you how hot you want to make it. Another idea is to serve it with a delicious side dish of pickled chilies, sambal or our hot sauce. 

Sambal is a popular sauce served typically in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. If you like spicy food, then it’s perfect for you. The recipe sometimes varies but the main ingredients often include chili peppers, shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, shallots, scallions, sugar, and lime juice. Very tasty and adds the perfect amount of heat!

Add coconut milk

On the other hand, if you and your friends aren’t able to handle hot dishes, you could make this curry chicken dish milder by adding coconut milk. The great thing about this recipe is that you can adapt it to your own tastes and spice level. The addition of coconut milk will turn off a little bit of the heat, and create a creamier curry. We do recommend adding a bit more curry paste to get more curry flavor! 

Coconut milk is a great option for vegans as well. If you’re not a big fan of coconut, you could try alternatives to coconut milk such as yogurt, cream, or other non-dairy milks (such as soy or almond), but be warned as the taste won’t be the same.

How to cook curry chicken in a slow cooker

To make this Malaysian curry chicken recipe even simpler, you could make it in a slow cooker. All you need to do is prepare all the ingredients and mix them in the slow cooker. If you’re using chicken and the traditional recipe, it should take about three hours on high heat or five hours on low heat. If you cook it for longer you’ll have nice tender curry chicken. Or throw it in an Instant Pot to cut cooking time in half!

This curry chicken is actually a very healthy alternative to other curries. Even with the extra coconut milk, it’s a light recipe that relies on deliciously aromatic spices for flavor. You can definitely treat your family or friends to a selection of accompaniments to go with it. Check out some of our other traditional and non-traditional Malaysian-style recipes.

Still looking for other ways to cook curry chicken ?

You can check out this blog for inspiration from Indian style to Thai to Caribbean!  

Fried potatoes
Curry Chicken and potatoes over rice