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Ayam kapitan with Halal chicken

Ping Coombes's ayam kapitan, the Malaysian captain's curry: turmeric-rubbed Halal chicken legs fried, then simmered in a chilli, galangal and lemongrass paste with coconut milk, lime leaves and tamarind.

Malaysian · Main · Moderate · 8 portions · 180 min

Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.

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Why Halal checks matter here

The curry is made with 8 chicken legs, which are Halal only from Halal-slaughtered birds, and 2 tbsp of chicken stock powder, which is a chicken product.

Halal-critical ingredients

• Chicken legs: Chicken is a Halal bird, but slaughter decides, and chicken without a Halal mark doesn't say how the bird was slaughtered. Buy the chicken from a Halal butcher or in a certified pack. See Chicken.
• Chicken stock powder: Chicken stock powder is made with chicken, and the UK's mainstream stock cubes contain uncertified chicken or beef fat. Use a Halal-certified chicken stock powder. See Stock cubes.

Ingredients

Chicken

• 2 tbsp ground turmeric
• 1 tbsp flaky sea salt
• 8 Halal chicken legs, skin on and bone in, cut into thighs and drumsticks
• 225 ml vegetable oil, for frying

Spice paste

• 40 small dried chillies, seeds removed
• 50 g fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 50 g galangal, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 lemongrass stalks, tender part only
• 350 g Thai or regular shallots, roughly chopped
• 25 g candlenuts or macadamia nuts
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Curry

• 500 ml thick full-fat coconut milk
• 2 lemongrass stalks, bruised
• 4 lime leaves
• 2 tbsp Halal-certified chicken stock powder
• 2 tbsp white caster sugar
• 85 g tamarind paste

Method

1. Marinate. Mix the turmeric, salt and 3 tbsp water in a large non-metallic dish, add the chicken and rub the mixture all over. Cover and chill overnight, or leave at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Make the spice paste. Soak the dried chillies in hot water for 20 minutes until soft, then drain. Blend them with the ginger, galangal, lemongrass, shallots, candlenuts, garlic and oil until smooth.
3. Fry the chicken. Heat the 225 ml oil in a deep wok or large heavy-based pan and fry the chicken in batches for 5 minutes, turning halfway, until golden. Drain on kitchen paper. Carefully pour half the oil into a heatproof container.
4. Fry the paste. Add the spice paste to the oil left in the wok and fry for 5 minutes. Return the chicken, then add the coconut milk, bruised lemongrass and lime leaves and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Simmer. Stir in the stock powder, sugar and tamarind paste and simmer gently for 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 40 minutes, until the chicken is falling off the bone.

Allergens

nuts (candlenuts or macadamias)

How this recipe was researched

Method adapted from BBC Good Food's 'Ayam Kapitan (Captain's Malaysian chicken curry)' by Ping Coombes (serves 8: 2 tbsp turmeric, 1 tbsp flaky sea salt and 3 tbsp water rubbed over 8 skin-on, bone-in chicken legs cut into thighs and drumsticks, chilled overnight or left 30 minutes at room temperature; spice paste of 40 small dried chillies, deseeded and soaked 20 minutes in hot water, blended smooth with 50 g ginger, 50 g galangal, the tender part of 4 lemongrass stalks, 350 g shallots, 25 g candlenuts or macadamias, 4 garlic cloves and 2 tbsp vegetable oil; the chicken fried in batches 5 minutes in 225 ml vegetable oil and drained, half the oil removed; the paste fried 5 minutes in the rest; the chicken returned with 500 ml thick full-fat coconut milk, 2 bruised lemongrass stalks and 4 lime leaves for 5 minutes; 2 tbsp chicken stock powder, 2 tbsp white caster sugar and 85 g tamarind paste stirred in and simmered gently 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 40 minutes until the chicken falls off the bone). We specified Halal chicken legs and a Halal-certified chicken stock powder; nothing else needed changing. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.

Photograph from our ingredient library: a beef rendang, not the finished dish from this recipe.