Kare Ayam Jawa - Javanese Chicken Curry
Here is an authentic Indonesian Javanese chicken curry made from scratch that is extremely easy to prepare! The rich savory sauce is perfect with steamed rice.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 45 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 3 tablespoon oil
- 2 lemongrass (Indonesian: sereh), bruised and knotted
- 3 Indonesian bay leaves (Indonesian: daun salam)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder (Indonesian: bubuk kunyit)
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin powder (Indonesian: bubuk jinten)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper (Indonesian: bubuk lada)
- 1 whole chicken cut into 8-12 pieces, or 4-5 chicken quarters separated into thighs and drumsticks
- 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk
- 1100 ml (4 1/2 cup) chicken stock/water
- 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar (Indonesian: gula Jawa)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon tamarind juice (1 teaspoon tamarind + 1 tablespoon water, massaged and strained)
- 2 kaffir lime leaves (Indonesian: daun jeruk)
- 100 gram shallot (Indonesian: bawang merah)
- 4 cloves garlic (Indonesian: bawang putih)
- 6 candlenuts (Indonesian: kemiri)
- 1 inch ginger (Indonesian: jahe)
- 1 inch galangal (Indonesian: lengkuas)
- fried shallots (Indonesian: bawang merah goreng)
Instructions
- 1
Grind spice paste: Use a food processor to grind shallots, garlic, candlenuts, ginger, and galangal into a smooth paste.
- 2
Sauté spice paste and herbs: Heat oil in a wok over medium heat. Sauté spice paste, lemongrass, daun salam, turmeric, cumin, and pepper for 3-5 minutes, or until fragrant.
- 3
Add chicken: Add chicken into the wok. Stir, and cook until the chicken is no longer pink.
- 4
Add coconut milk and seasonings: Pour in coconut milk, chicken stock/water, tamarind juice, and season with salt and coconut palm sugar. Once it boils, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the chicken is tender and the sauce is reduced and thick.
- 5
Garnish and serve: Stir in kaffir lime leaves. Turn off the heat and transfer the curry to a serving bowl. Garnish with fried shallots and serve it immediately with steamed white rice.