AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DISHES: #9 MALAYSIA: KARI AYAM DAN UBI KENTANG

Woooooosh - i'm now in Malaysia enjoying Kari Ayam Dan Ubi Kentang (Chicken & Potato Curry) served with the rather exciting Roti Jala & Malaysian rice.

This episode of Around the World in 80 Dishes I will split into the 3 parts that make up this dish...... Pt.1 The Rice...... Pt.2 Roti Jala...... & the main event Pt.3 Kari Ayam Dan Ubi Kentang,

Ingredients:

Pt.1 - The Rice

Thai Jasmine Rice
Coconut Milk
Salt
Water
1/4 tsp of ground ginger
small chunk of fresh root ginger

Pt.2 - Roti Jala

300g Plain Flour
3oz Coconut Milk
Water
1 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1/4 tsp Tumeric

Pt.3 - Kari Ayam Dan Ubi Kentang

8 small boneless/skinless chicken thighs
Potatoes
Okra
Green Beans
Mushrooms
1 large red onion
1 chicken stock cube
3 garlic cloves
1 tin of coconut milk
1 tbsp mild curry powder
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 red chilli
1 stick of Lemongrass
1/2 tsp tumeric

If you follow the below instructions then you can learn how all these ingredients combine to make a very tasty dish! So...... here we go:

Pt.1 - the Rice:

Just put some rice in a pan and boil in water?...... No??? this is Malaysian style rice. Using some Thai Jasmine Rice (yes Thai - you might stuggle to find Malaysian rice in Tescos!) rinse it and then soak in half a tin on coconut milk. Chuck in a good pinch of salt and some finely chopped fresh root Ginger & 1/4 tsp of Ground ginger. Top up with enough water to boil the rice in - when ready to cook - boil on a low heat for 20-30 mins and serve in a serving ring for maximun presentation! I added some cucumber around the base and some thinly peeled strings of carrot.

Pt.2 - Roti Jala:

Roti Jala got me all excited - it looks really complex with its netting style look, but was suprisingly easy to make. Firstly you need to make up your batter. Sift 300g of flour into a mixing bowl and add 1 tsp of salt & 1/4 tsp of tumeric & stir together. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in 3oz of Coconut Milk mixed with 3 large eggs & 1 cuo of water, Slowly add in another cup of water whilst stirring to make as smooth a batter as possible. Then sieve the batter to remove any remaining lumps.

Pout this into a squeezy bottle - i used an old tomato sauce bottle (tomato sauce removed and washed)

Brush a nonstick frying pan with vegetable oil and steadily squeese your batter into the pan - firstly into a spiral then criss-cross like so:

After it starts to set (normally between 1-2 mins) fold the netted crepe in half then fold twice more to form a triangle. These can be set aside & are ready to serve with the main dish. Not only do these look great, but they taste great too! 

Pt.3 - Kari Ayam Dan Ubi Kentang:

Now for the Chicken and Potato curry.....
Crumble half a chicken stock cube into a bowl and add 1 tbsp of mild curry powder & 1/2 a tsp of tumeric & pour in 4 tbsp of vegetable oil - mix into a paste and add the chicken thighs, turning them until fully coated with the paste.

its chopping time - chop up all your veg (red onion, okra, green beans, mushrooms) finely slice 3 cloves of garlic and a chunk of ginger. Also take a stick of lemongrass and give it a bashing.

In a large pan on a medium-high heat brown off the chicken thighs and remove from the pan. In the same pan throw in all the veg and stir around with a sprinkling of water to loosen all the browned spices from the chicken.

Also chop some baby potatoes in half (or quarters if on the big side) - chuck these in with a tin of coconut milk + any left over from the previous tin used for the rice & roti jala. Add the chicken back and cook on a low heat for 45 mins.

Add a sprinkling of finely chopped deseeded red chili. Once the curry is cooked and all your other components are ready then remove the stick of lemongrass and serve like so and enjoy:

Our dinner guests said they would bring pudding with them and found an authentic Malaysian desert for us to enjoy. This was various fruits (pear, papaya, kiwi & cucumber) served with a sauce for dipping them in. The Sauce was an interesting combination made from Tamarind paste, chili & crushed peanuts. A most delightful & refreshing end to our Malaysian adventure.

See you all soon for another Greedy Mancunian Around the World in 80 Dishes adventure!

Countries to go: 71

Countries done:

#1 Peru

#2 Oman

#3 Malta

#4 Sweden

#5 Botswana

#6 Germany

#7 Iceland

#8 Mongolia

#9 Malaysia