How to Make Nyonya Curry in 4 Easy Steps

I love curries. And there are many different types of curry around the world. For instance, the Nyonya curry, Thai curry, Indian curry. As a curry lover, I have so many different ones to choose from.

In my opinion, Nyonya chicken curry cooked with potatoes is the best. And I serve my favourite with rice, noodle, or bread. Because it is immensely popular, there is a wide variety of instant curry pastes available in the market. As a result, making Nyonya chicken curry become a very simple process.

What is Nyonya Cuisine?

I learned that Nyonya cuisine is a fusion of traditional Malay and Chinese culinary influences. In addition, there are many household recipes passed down from generations of Nyonyas. Nyonyas start their dishes with a careful selection of fresh herbs and spices, and then meticulously develop into delicious dishes. Loved by many, the Nyonya cuisine has become one of the top delicacies in Southeast Asia, and around the world.

Nyonya Cuisine comes from Peranakans (Straits Chinese). They are descendants of Chinese who immigrated to Malaysia and inter-marry with local Malays. Babas are Peranakan men, and Nyonya are women folks. Also, many Peranakans live in Malacca, Penang, and Singapore.

Nyonya curry uses many fresh herbs and spices grounded, blended and fried to form a lustrous paste known as Rempah. It is a Malay word for fried spice paste. Nyonya cuisine uses spice paste as the base ingredient for cooking vegetables, chicken, pork, beef, mutton, and seafood curries.

To learn more, check out a brief history of Nyonya.

Preparing Nyonya Curry Spice Paste is Time Consuming

The main ingredients in the spice paste are chillies, shallots, lemongrass, and garlic. And the best spice paste is made from mixing and pounding all the ingredients together. Millstone or mortar and pestle are often used. Because the spice paste is then stir-fried for an extended period of time, it achieves the desired consistency and fragrance.

Hence, preparing spice paste is obviously a tiring and very time-consuming process. As an alternative, you can use a food processor or grinder to mix all the ingredients and stir-fry in an auto breadmaker. However, it will not taste the same as the manually prepared paste.

Authentic Instant Nyonya Curry Spice Paste You Should Try

You should definitely give instant spice paste a try if you have never used it before. Because it can save you a lot of time in preparing from raw ingredients. As a result, you spend less time cooking a delicious dish and more time enjoying the dish with family and friends.

There are many different types and brands of curry paste in the market. To be sure, always look for natural flavours in the paste. Because the artificial flavours are not going to taste the same.

There are many ingredients in the paste. And if you are allergic to a certain food, remember to look at the ingredients list when shopping for pastes.

We recommend a few authentic instant spice paste brands for cooking chicken, beef, and seafood. You can find them at this shop or at the Amazon store. *As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

It is quick and easy to cook Nyonya chicken curry using instant curry paste.

Ingredients and Preparation:

  1. 1 packet of instant curry paste
  2. 1.5kg chicken, cut into pieces.
  3. 250ml to 500ml water
  4. 200ml coconut milk or milk (evaporated milk)
  5. 2 potatoes, skinned and cut into wedges

Cooking Instructions:

  1. Put 1 packet of instant chicken curry paste, 1.5kg chicken pieces and 2 potatoes (cut into wedges) into wok.
  2. Mix and fry for 5 minutes under medium heat.
  3. Add in 250ml to 500ml water and simmer under low heat for 15 minutes or until the meat and potatoes are cooked.
  4. Add in 200ml coconut milk, stir well and bring to a quick boil. Serve hot.

This is how easy it is to cook chicken curry using instant curry paste.

Have you tried using instant paste before? If you have any feedback about instant curry paste that you have tried or any questions about cooking chicken curry, please leave your comments below.

curry chicken

Nyonya Curry Chicken

christine
There are many different types of curry, the Nyonya curry, Thai red/green curry, Indian curry, and others that are different around the world. The most popular is the Nyonya Curry chicken with potatoes. This is one of the favourite dishes that is served with rice, noodle, or bread.
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Nyonya
Servings 4
Calories 590 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • A packet of instant curry paste 200g
  • 1.5 kg chicken cut into pieces.
  • 250 ml to 500 ml water
  • 100 ml coconut milk
  • 2 potatoes skinned and cut into wedges

Instructions
 

  • Put 1 packet of instant chicken curry paste, 1.5kg chicken pieces, and 2 potatoes (cut into wedges) into the wok.
  • Mix and fry for 5 minutes under medium heat.
  • Add in 250ml to 500ml water and simmer under low heat for 15 minutes or until the meat and potatoes are cooked.
  • Add in 100ml coconut milk, stir well and bring to a quick boil. Served hot

Notes

1. Simmer for an extra 5 to 10 minutes if you use chicken with bones
** Nutritional value is for reference and estimates only, it may not be accurate. Please refer to our Nutrition Disclaimer.
Keyword Chicken Curry