Burmese Chicken Curry (Kyet Thar Sipyan)

By tonyglib

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 whole chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon crushed dried chillies
• 125 ml peanut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 500 ml water

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from mycookinghut.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Mix the ground turmeric, salt and fish sauce in a bowl. Add the chicken and toss in the marinade. Leave for 30 minutes while you make the onion paste.

2. Put the onion, garlic and dried chillies in a pestle and mortar. Pound to a coarse paste. It definitely makes a difference to the taste of the gravy if you use a pestle and mortar. If you don’t have one, just chop everything finely.

3. In a wok or saucepan, heat the oil. Cook the onion paste over moderate heat for 15-20 minutes. It may seem like a lot of oil but it’s important not to skimp here. If there is not enough oil, it will burn the onions and make the gravy bitter. Keep a close eye and stir frequently. When the mixture has caramelised and turned reddish brown, add the paprika and stir until fragrant.

4. Finally add the chicken and water, cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes, occasionally stirring the mixture until the meat is tender. It is ready when the gravy has reduced and the oil has returned.

Tip: To make the gravy a little bit more substantial, add 4 fresh or a tin of tomatoes along with the water.