A simple, quick recipe has always been a busy person’s wish come true. Without such quick to put together recipes, busy bees, especially working moms, often have a hard time preparing wholesome, delicious meals for their family. So, thank you, creators of easy, quick recipes for cutting short our cooking time so we can make time for more important tasks at hand. Here, we’ve created an easy recipe for Kuzi Chicken. While there are many recipes out there, this is a simplified version for all you busy people. You will get the taste without the complications.
Learning new recipes is always a thrill due to the anticipation of trying it out the first time. There’s nothing like the satisfaction on the faces of your loved ones as they take that first delicious bite. So, if you are looking for a dish that is easy to put together yet guaranteed to hit the spot, this chicken recipe might just do it.
Kuzi Chicken: A Cozy Homecooked Meal
Kuzi Chicken is basically a Malaysian version of chicken curry but with an East Coast twist. Before we get into the recipe, here’s a little bit of background about this dish. First of all, it was originally created in Kelantan. Kuzi Chicken was often prepared especially for joyous and grand occasions celebrated within the Kelantanese Malay community.
Different than the your usual run-off-the-mill chicken curry, Kuzi Chicken has a milder, sweeter taste and is often confused with ‘Ayam Masak Merah’, another Malaysian favourite.
What makes this dish so special is that it is often associated with celebrations and family reunions as it is meant to be a dish made for you to enjoy with your loved ones. It has a comforting flavour palate which makes one’s meal with family a nostalgic one!
Ingredients:
- 1 (1.3 to 1.4kg) whole medium sized chicken, cut into at least 4 pieces
- 50g (1/4 cup) cashews
- 50g (1/4 cup) raisins
- 30g ginger
- 40g (10 cloves) garlic
- 25g (3 tablespoons) kurma powder
- 8g (1 tablespoon) garam masala powder
- 160g red onions, sliced
- 115g (1/2 cup) tomato paste
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup oil
- 1 cup milk
- 3 pandan leaves, tied together
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon of salt
Method:
- Blend the ginger and garlic into a paste. Set aside along with the garam masala and kurma powder.
- Heat 1 cup of oil in a wok or medium sized pot.
- Fry cashews until they turn golden. Be careful as this will not take long and you don’t want them to turn black. Remove cashews from the oil.
- Next do a quick fry of the raisins. They only need 10 seconds in the hot oil. Remove and set aside with the cashews for later.
- In the same oil, fry the red onions for about 3 minutes.
- Add the ginger garlic paste and the garam masala and kurma powder spices. Stir for 1 minute.
- Add 1 cup of water, chicken, pandan leaves and 1 ½ teaspoon of salt into the wok. Coat the chicken with the sauces from the wok. Leave to simmer for 1 minute.
- Next add tomato paste and 2 tbsp sugar. Stir until it is combined into the sauce. Leave to simmer for 10 minutes. You’ll notice the sauce begin to thicken.
- Add milk and continue to let it cook for 8 minutes.
- Toss half the cashews and raisins into the mix, gently stir and you’re done! We’ll use the other half of the cashews and raisins to decorate the top of the dish when serving.
Spread the Love!
Kuzi Chicken, as a one pot dish, is so easy to make and doesn’t take long to prepare as well. Kuzi Chicken is best served together with some nasi minyak or ghee rice, sweet pickled vegetables or some fiery sambal belacan. Eating it with capathi is fine, but if you want to taste some magic, do eat it as recommended!
Tell us about your experience making this lip-smacking dish by sliding into our Instagram DM or our Facebook inbox. We would love to know all about it. Till then, happy cooking.