Malaysian Mango Chicken Curry

I think the line between products I review and when they become recipes depends on whether I followed the directions on the back of the package or did my own thing. Or maybe I make an exception for curries? Because Ca Ri Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Curry) is the only Vietnamese curry recipe I know and the curry powder comes from a jar. I did attempt Gaeng Kiaw Waan (Thai Green Curry with Thai Eggplants) with good results. But that's because lemongrass was an ingredient I was familiar with and could adjust according to my taste.

Anyway, after having made and eaten several Malaysian dishes in the past few weeks, I felt more confident in my abilities. A quick phone call to my cousin to get generalities of a Malaysian mango chicken curry she had recently and I was ready to experiment.

I delved into the box of goodies from Asian Supermarket 365 and used Tean's Gourmet Chicken Curry Paste (Tumisan Kari Ayam), which sells for $2.99 a packet. Vicki of A Work in Progress recently tried it and said her mother-in-law and husband, who were not big fans of curry, each had seconds. That definitely sounded promising! Vicki prepared the curry with chicken thighs and potatoes, per the directions on the packet.

I had neither on hand and felt like experimenting. So I used chicken breast pieces I had in the freezer. I bought some cheap mangoes from the grocery store that had seen better days so I figured cooking them would add a nice dimension to my curry.

The result was wonderful. The curry was so smooth and flavorful. I think the mangoes added a slight sweetness that went really well with the curry. Lil' sis is not a fan of curry either and she even had seconds. That's three curry converts because of Tean's Gourmet Malaysian chicken curry paste so that's saying something!

The ingredients: Cooking Oil, Onion, Garlic, Chilli, Galangal, Lemon Grass, Turmeric, Coriander, Cumin, Fennel, Monosodium Glutamate, Salt, Sugar. It seems so simple but I know I would not have been able to achieve this flavor on my own. So this packet gets a big happy asterisk of approval from me.

If you don't have this particular brand of curry paste, I guess you could try and experiment with others. Or even use the Madras curry powder I use for Vietnamese chicken curry. It won't be the same, but it'll do in a pinch.

By the way, as I was making the curry, I realized that my wok was due for a mini-update. It's been almost a year since I showed you How to Season a Wok. What was once brand shiny new is blackened with use. That's a good thing! The blacker the wok, the more non-stick it becomes. Do you have a wok and love it? Let me know so I can include you in We Wok!


Malaysian Mango Chicken Curry

You'll need:
1 package Tean's Gourmet Malaysian chicken curry paste, or any other curry paste of your choice
1 lb chicken, diced
1 onion, diced
2 mangoes, diced large (Directions for how to peel and cut a mango if you don't know how.)
1 can coconut milk

You know, it looks pretty to set up your cooking area with separate bowls for each item, but honestly I just pile everything onto one plate.

Do not shake your can of coconut milk. Skim off the coconut cream on top, reserving the liquid in the can.

On high heat, combine the coconut cream with the chicken curry paste. Just give it a quick stir.


Then add the onions and chicken and stir until combined and the chicken is mostly cooked on the outside.


Then add the mangoes and mix thoroughly.


Pour the rest of the coconut milk into the pan. Then fill up the can with water and add that into the wok too. Add another can if you want more liquid. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until the curry is thickened to your liking.


Serve with rice.


Enjoy!

Please refer back to my Terrible Twos post to see the other items I've tried. I added an asterisk to products that I've reviewed and really liked in case you were trying to decide what to purchase.

The folks at Asian Supermarket 365 have nicely extended their 3% discount to Wandering Chopsticks readers, just enter code "WC30708M" at checkout. Expiration date is August 31, 2008.

Who made my recipe for mango chicken curry?
Ning of Heart and Hearth substituted with Thai yellow curry paste and said, "It sounded delicious. It looks delicious. We love mangoes. How can any dish with mangoes go wrong? I knew I just had to try this...My sister-in-law passed by our house just as we were finishing dinner and when she smelled the curry, she said it was very very fragrant and she wanted to try it. She declared it to be flavorful and spicy!"

My other mango recipes:
Egg Rolls Stuffed with Bananas and Mangoes with Nutella Dipping Sauce
Goi Xoai Xanh (Vietnamese Green Mango Salad)
Mango Bread
Mango Chicken
Mango Salsa
Mangoes with Sticky Rice - Vietnamese-Style

I'm submitting this recipe to Monthly Mingle: Mango Mania hosted this month by its creator, Meeta of What's for Lunch Honey. Check out the Monthly Mingle page for details if you'd like to join in. And don't forget to check Meeta's blog on July 14 for even more mango recipes.

*****
1 year ago today, freshly filled cannoli and pizza dough by the pound at Claro's Italian Market - San Gabriel.