Let’s cook Kapitan Chicken!
Ahoy matey! Here’s a classic Nyonya curry dish – Kapitan Chicken, or Chicken Curry Kapitan.
History of Kapitan Chicken
Once upon a time in colonial Malaya, a British officer once asked his chef the name of this dish. “Ayam, kapitan! (Chicken, captain),” he replied. And that’s how the name was stuck… well, according to legends (and Google). This, or the dish was actually named after a Kapitan Cina in the olden days.
Chinese meets Malay influences
Anyhoo… this Peranakan dish is another beautiful amalgamation of Chinese and Malay influences. So how does this curry Kapitan differ from your regular curry chicken?
For one, curry Kapitan eschews classic Malay/Indian spices such as cinnamon, star anise and cloves.
Instead, the flavours come from kaffir lime leaves, shrimp paste (belacan), and tamarind puree (pati asam jawa).
Using hei kou in our recipe
Traditonally, the pungent belacan (fermented shrimp paste) is used to cook this dish but we use hei kou for its smokey and pungent sweetness (hei kou is essential for assam laksa, rojak and Penang chee cheong fun).
Hei kou
Of course, the blend of galangal, lemongrass and turmeric add complexity and depth to the dish. We also use gula Melaka for its unmistakable smokey taste.
Chicken Kapitan – mildly spicy but rich in flavours!
The result is a curry that’s mildly spicy, but rich in aroma and flavours. The gula Melaka and hei kou provides sweetness, while the tartness comes from tamarind puree.
The gravy should not be too watery or dry. Rather, it should be nice and creamy (thanks to the coconut milk). When you dish out a spoonful of gravy, you should be able to taste all of the blended spices in all its glory. The chicken should be tender and super flavourful. Yums!
Key tips
* Marinade the chicken first with turmeric and salt overnight if possible for flavours to penetrate the meat. Wear a glove to prevent the turmeric from staining your hand.
* We also browned the chicken pieces first to release the aroma.
* If you can’t find hei kou, belacan is the traditional choice for the recipe. Also, asam keping (tamarind slices) works to replace tamarind puree.
* Add water while cooking to ensure it does not dry up. The final gravy should be just nice and creamy.
* As with any curry, it tastes better overnight.
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Instagram for the latest recipes and food adventures. Check out our video for this recipe in our Instagram post below.
More Nyonya recipes
For more Nyonya/Peranakan recipes, check out the link below.
Some of our favourite Nyonya dishes to cook include:
Key Steps in Pictures
Wear a glove when marinating chicken 
Spices ready for the blender
Kapitan Chicken [Recipe]
Course: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: Nyonya, Chinese, MalaysianDifficulty: Intermediate4
servings40
minutes1
hour10
minutesOur take on the classic Peranakan Chicken Curry Kapitan.
Ingredients
- Chicken marinade
1kg chicken pieces (I use drumsticks and drummets)
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cooking oil
2 tsp salt
dash of white pepper
- Blended spices
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 onion, quartered
4 lemongrass stalks, white part
2-inch galangal
2-inch turmeric
1-inch ginger
4 candlenuts
8 dried chillies, soaked and deseeded
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded
1/4 cup water
- Others
2-3 potatoes, quartered
1 tbsp black shrimp paste (hei ko or otak/petis udang)
1.5 tbsp tamarind puree (pati asam jawa)
6 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced
green parts of 4 lemongrass stalks
200g coconut milk
1 cup water
1 tbsp gula Melaka
Salt to taste
3 tbsp cooking oil
Directions
- Rub chicken with the marinade ingredients. Set aside for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
- With a food processor, blend all the spices to make paste. Set aside.
- Heat up 3 tbsp of cooking oil in wok over medium high heat. When it is hot, fry the chicken pieces for about 5 minutes until it is slightly brown. Remove when done.
- Add the blended spice paste into the wok. Add oil if needed. Fry the paste until fragrant for about 3-5 minutes.
- Add tamarind puree, shrimp paste, kaffir lime leaves and the green parts of lemongrass. Mix well and cook until fragrant for about 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken pieces, water, santan and gula Melaka. Mix well. Cover with lid and let it simmer for about 30-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Occasionally, add water if the gravy reduces too much.
- Finally, add salt to taste (and water if the gravy is too little). Add the potatoes, cover with lid and cook for 15 minutes or until they are soft.
- Serve with white rice!
