Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Malaysian Mango Chicken Curry

Malaysian Mango Chicken Curry 1

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 2

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.

Malaysian Mango Chicken Curry 3

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

Malaysian Mango Chicken Curry 4

Then add the mangoes and mix thoroughly.

Malaysian Mango Chicken Curry 5

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.

Malaysian Mango Chicken Curry 6

Serve with rice.

Malaysian Mango Chicken Curry 1

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.

11 comments:

  1. This Malaysian curry looks and sounds like Thai yellow curry :-) I'll have to try it.

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  2. My MIL is still asking when I'm going to make this curry again! Looks like I have another order to place with AS365.

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  3. YUM! What a good use of mango.

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  4. Oh, my god. I love mango and curry but I have never thought of combining them. It looks delicious. Please keep sharing your creative ideas with us.

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  5. DP,
    You mean the original version with potatoes? That's the only Thai yellow curry I've eaten.

    Vicki,
    Even my sister asked about leftovers and she usually hates curry.

    Nikki,
    It turned out really well.

    TT,
    Thanks! I'm glad you like the recipes.

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  6. I was thinking more of the paste ingredients. I use the same ingredients to make yellow curry paste. And the color is the same.

    I'm going to look for this product because I'm curious to taste the difference between the Thai curry paste and Malaysian. And I'm always up to trying a new curry :-)

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  7. Hey - I use that curry paste pretty often and love it! NEver thought of putting mangos in the curry though!

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  8. oh man I had a whole bunch of photos of my wok and I just deleted them off of my computer.

    I LOVE MY WOK!!! I use it to stir fry and deep fry and make all my noodle dishes....I use it 2 or 3 times and week, not bad for a westerner

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  9. DP,
    A lot of the ingredients are similar to the Madras curry paste I use for Vietnamese curry chicken too. But this paste is different from any Thai yellow curries I've tried. I'm well-versed enough with curries to really explain what those differences are though!

    W&S,
    And here I thought it was fairly common since my local Malaysian restaurant serves this. I love this paste.

    Shayne,
    Then I guess you'll just have to take more photos of your wok and post about it. ;)

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  10. Hi WC,

    I absolutely love this brand! I do it a little different.

    I "marinate" the chicken pieces with chopped onions and the curry paste.

    When I am ready to cook, I will add a little oil and pan-fry the chicken pieces for a few minutes before adding my coconut milk.

    The other product of Tean's that I absolutely love is their Curry Laksa. Try it!

    p/s: Love your info on how to season the wok. I can't wait to try it on mine.

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  11. Mum&Dad,
    Another fan of Tean's sauce. That's good to know my tastebuds are in sync.

    ReplyDelete

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