Chicken Kurma Malaysian style

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 600 g chicken
• 500 ml coconut milk
• 250 ml coconut cream
• 125 ml oil, e.g. sunflower oil
• 1 onion(s)
• 2 red chili peppers
• 6 shallots
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 piece(s) ginger root, large
• 2 cardamom pods, green
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick(s), approx. 3cm long
• 3 cloves
• 2 bay leaves, dried
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp spice mix (kurma powder)
• 6 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp anise
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 4 cloves
• 3 cardamom pods, green
• some star anise
• some nutmeg

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 minute; Total time approx. 31 minutes

To make the kurma powder, roast all the spices individually, let them cool, and then grind them together in a mortar and pestle. Puree or crush 3 shallots with 2 garlic cloves and grind them into a paste with the kurma powder and a teaspoon of water. Finely slice the remaining 3 shallots, and finely chop the remaining 2 garlic cloves and the ginger. Heat the oil in a large pot and fry the finely chopped garlic and shallots together with the ginger, cardamom, star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, and bay leaves until fragrant. Then add the ground kurma paste and fry briefly. Add the meat, cut into bite-sized pieces, and about 250 ml of water and simmer for about 20 minutes. First, add the coconut cream and bring to a simmer. Then, add the coconut milk, season with salt, and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly (but remains quite runny). Finally, add the chopped onion and chili peppers and stir briefly. Serve with rice or delicious naan bread.