“When you give joy to other people, you get more joy in return. You should give a good thought to the happiness that you can give out.”- Eleanor Roosevelt
You might as well share food which I believe is equivalent to giving joy to others. And what can be more thoughtful than feeling happy about it. That’s my forte trying out multiple cuisines that have a story to tell, that can strike a conversation, exchange smiles and make you feel content and thankful at the table with family and friends.
Here is a recipe I recently tried and could relate with the Favour profile and spices that Malay cuisine offered. The Malay cuisine truly reflects the multi-ethnic makeup of its population which mainly consists of Malays, Chinese and Indians. As a result of historical migrations and colonisations Malaysian culinary style also carries significant to light influences from Indonisian, Filipino, Arab, Thai, Portuguese and British cuisines to name a few.
The Jala roti is simple yet elegant looking pancake that is said to have travelled from India in the form of string hoppers or Idiappam. Later it was tweaked and got a makeover by the sea, among the fisherman community who found inspiration for this roti from the nets meaning “Jala” that they used for fishing.
A key ingredient in the flavorsome chicken gravy is the Malaysian Curry powder which you will find in the blog.
Click this tab to find a short video on how to make Malaysian Chicken Curry.
Click this tab to find a short video on how to make Malaysian Roti Jala.
Ingredients
- Malaysian Chicken curry
- Oil- 2tbsp
- Onion(sliced)- 1 large
- Ginger- 1 inch( minced/ 1tsp paste)
- Garlic- 4 cloves(minced/ 1tsp paste)
- Cinnamon- 2inch
- Cloves- 3-4
- Star anise- 1
- Malaysian curry powder- 2tbsp
- Chicken- 1kg
- Potatoes-medium2-3(diced)
- Water- 3/4cup
- Coconut milk- 3/4cup
- Tamarind pulp- 1tbsp
- Green chillies slit- 2
- Curry leaves- few
- Roti Jala
- Egg- 1
- Coconut milk- 2/3 cup
- Turmeric powder- 1/4tsp
- Water- 3/4cup
- All purpose flour- 1cup
- Salt-to taste
Directions
- Malaysian Chicken curry
- 1Heat 2tbsp oil in a saucepan. Add the sliced onions and sauté it for 4-5 mins.
- 2Add the minced ginger-garlic and sauce it till raw smell goes.
- 3Add cinnamon cloves and star anise. Mix well.saute till aromatic.
- 4Add 2tbsp Malaysian curry powder and stir for 2 mins.
- 5Toss in the chicken and stir until well combined.
- 6Add 3/4 cup water and the diced potato chunks. Add salt to taste. Cover and cook until chicken and potatoes are cooked.
- 7Add 3/4 cup coconut milk and tamarind pulp. Allow to simmer for few mins.
- 8Add slit green chillies and few curry leaves. Cover and simmer for 2 mins. Malaysian chicken curry is ready.
- Roti Jala
- 1In a mixing bowl crack an egg and whisk it lightly.
- 2Pour in 2/3cup coconut milk, 1/4tsp turmeric, 3/4cup water, 1cup all purpose flour and salt to taste. Whisk all the ingredients to make a smooth batter.
- 3Pour this batter into a squeeze bottle with one or more nozzles.
- 4Season a flat crepe pan by wiping the surface with some oil soaked kitchen towel. Beat the pan.
- 5Pour the batter in a swirl shape, followed by zigzag over it. Allow to cook for 3-4 mins.
- 6You know it’s done when it’s non sticky to touch and behind to turn light brown on the sides. Fold from three sides and roll. Repeat the same until all the batter is used up.
- Notes:
- 1In this recipe you can either use fresh coconut milk or coconut milk powder mixed with warm water. I have used coconut milk powder. For curry- 1/2cup warm water+ 3 to 4tbsp of coconut milk powder. For roti- 1/4 cup warm water+ 2tbsp coconut milk powder. The texture of milk powder may vary brand wise. You can add more or less water or milk powder to get the desired thick milk consistency.
