Those who have had the privilege of tasting Kak’mbang’s cooking know that she’s a really good cook, so I am making it a personal mission to document her amazing recipes and to photograph her in action. This is something that is surprisingly difficult, because she’s always done cooking by the time I get home from work or grocery shopping.
Today I finally managed to catch her making one of her signature dishes, nasi minyak with chicken kurma. Purists may complain that her version isn’t exactly real nasi minyak, but to heck with it, I say. This dish has made an appearance at almost every Hari Raya do we’ve had since I was little, and is generally a crowd pleaser.
Kak’mbang’s Nasi Minyak
Ingredients
- 8 shallots
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 pieces ginger, each about 1 1/2 inches
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 4 tablespoons kurma spice mix
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 2 pieces star anise
- 9 cardamom pods
- 5 cloves
- 4 pandan leaves
- 4 tablespoons tomato puree
- 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
- 1 fistful of fried shallots (optional)
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 4 medium-sized waxy potatoes, peeled and halved
- Salt and sugar
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
- 3 cups (4 rice cooker cups) Basmathi rice
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk
- 3 3/4 cups (5 rice cooker cups) water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions
In a blender, add the shallots, garlic, 1 piece ginger and white pepper, and blitz into a fine paste. Remove from blender, add the kurma spice mix and stir to combine. Set aside.
In a large pot over medium high heat, heat 3 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon ghee. Add half of the onions, 1 stick cinnamon, the star anise, 5 cardamom pods, 5 cloves, 2 pandan leaves (tied into a knot) and cook, stirring, until onions are soft and spices are fragrant, 3 minutes. Add the blended mixture and 2 tablespoons tomato puree and cook, stirring, until oil separates and floats to the surface. If using, add the fried shallots to the chicken and mix by hand until evenly coated, then add the chicken to the pot. Add 1/2 cup evaporated milk, then add enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil then add the potatoes, and season with sugar and salt to taste. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
While the chicken is simmering, make the rice. 
In a rice cooker pot, heat the olive oil and ghee. Add the remaining onions, 1 stick cinnamon, 4 cardamom pods and remaining pandan leaves (tied into a knot) and cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons tomato puree and remaining 1/2 cup evaporated milk, and bring to a boil. Add the rice and salt, and stir to combine. Transfer to the rice cooker to finish the cooking process, about 20 minutes. When all the liquid has evaporated, give the rice a gentle stir to ensure even cooking. When the rice is done, let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.
Serve the chicken korma and rice with a side of achar.
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