curry — recipes — bent street kitchen

baked chicken curry by Bent Street Kitchen

It's probably dangerous to mess with a classic but I had a really clear vision and taste of how I wanted this dish to be. There are many forms of chicken curry but with this recipe I'm paying homage to food usually found in Hong Kong style cafes.

Hong Kong style cafes were really popular back in the 1980s and they typically served a mix of Hong Kong or Macau style Western food. Menus would typically have cheese and egg sandwiches, thick white toast with condensed milk, baked pork chop on rice, tomato sauce steak with rice, baked seafood in cream sauce served with spaghetti, black coffee with lemon and even a cold glass of Horllcks (yes, the malted milk drink).

There are some Hong Kong style cafes around Sydney's Chinatown but I haven't been to one in ages. I often go to the cafes in Hong Kong with my family.

When I was creating this dish in my mind, I was thinking of mixing some cooking styles. I wanted a full curry flavour, golden brown chicken skin, waxy roasted potatoes instead of the usual boiled texture you get in curries and caramelised red capsicum that you only get from roasting.

I think this dish is absolutely delicious. I'm so pleased it turned out the way I hoped it would. Of course, now I'm already thinking of stretching the fusion vibe further by adding some cheese and turning it into a curry chicken rice bake. Stay tuned!

Ingredients:

700 g chicken wings, wing tips discarded and excluded from weight, cut in half at the joints

2 medium-sized red delight potatoes, peeled, cut into 4 cm chunks, at a 60 degree angle to maximise surface area and reduce cooking time

1 red capsicum, deseeded, cut into 4 cm squares

1 brown onion, cut lengthwise into 2 cm wide wedges and separated into single pieces

1 long green chilli, optional

4 T light soy sauce

4 T Shaoxing wine

3 T curry powder

2 t sugar

1 cup coconut milk

1 T vegetable oil

Method:

In a large bowl, mix soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, curry powder until well combined. Add chicken and potatoes and coat with marinade well. Marinate for 1 hour, stirring once or twice to make sure it marinates evenly. I suggest taking it out of the refrigerator, half an hour before you plan to put it in the oven to reduce cooking time.

Preheat oven to 200 °C.

Heat 1 T vegetable oil in a fry pan over medium high heat. Add onions and fry for 1 minute and until the onions are well coated with oil. Set aside. I fry the onions first instead of just adding them raw with the rest of the ingredients because this keeps the onion from stewing instead of caramelising while in the oven.

Place chicken and potatoes into a large baking dish along with green chilli, onions, capsicum and coconut milk. Mix well and spread evenly. Cook for 30 mins then remove from oven and give meat and vegetables a turn so they brown evenly. Return to oven and bake for another 20-30 mins. It is done when the juices run clear from the chicken and you can easily slide a knife into the potatoes. Serve with steamed rice.

Serves 4.

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I think okra is a much maligned and underrated vegetable. A lot of people think it's slimy and hairy and with that reputation, why would you want to eat it? I used to think the same way when I was little. We'd have it at home steamed and served with bagoong, a Filipino shrimp paste. We'd also have it in a stew of pork, bitter melon, and pumpkin called pinakbet. However, it wasn't until I had okra in a variety of East Indian curry dishes that I became smitten. Those dry Indian curries make okra taste sweet, nutty and blog worthy.

I remember planting okra in school because they're easy to grow in warm weather. And, while we're extolling its virtues, I might as well add that they're a good source of fuzzy fiber, folate, vitamin C, magnesium and potassium. For this recipe, choose pods that are about as long as your pinkie or index finger. If you use younger pods, the more tender, less hairy and slimy they're going to be. Make sure they're a bright green in colour, firm and have no black spots or blemishes.

Ingredients:

500 g okra

1 large onion, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 t ground turmeric

1/2 t ground cumin

1/2 t chilli powder

5 T vegetable oil

sea salt flakes, to taste

squeeze of lemon, if desired

coriander leaves for garnishing

Method:

Wash okra and dry well with a kitchen towel. Remove base and stalk then cut into 2 cm lengths.

Heat 2 T of oil in a large non-stick fry pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add okra and cook until slightly tender. Remove from pan and set aside.

While pan is still hot, add 3 T oil and heat for 2 minutes. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add garlic then continue to cook until onions are golden brown. Add spices and salt and cook for 1 minute. Turn heat down to low. Return okra to the pan and stir so the onions are well distributed. Cook until okra is tender, stirring occasionally. Check for seasoning and add salt if needed. Add squeeze of lemon juice, if desired. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serves 4-6.

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