Recipes: Devil Curry

I was first introduced to this Eurasian dish 3 years ago by Hubs (then boyfriend) during Christmas lunch with his family. I love the spiciness of this dish and always look forward to family gathering at his uncle's to eat to my heart's content. I have since got the family recipe from Hubby's uncle and decided to cook it myself today.

Devil Curry

Half a chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces, seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper
2 whole onions, quartered
2 stalks lemon grass, lightly bruised
1 tomato, quartered
1 green chilli, halved length-wise
500ml water
5 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Chilli paste (blend into smooth paste):
20 dried chilies, deseed and boil to soften (I prefer boiling over soaking in order to kill of any fungal spores)
8 fresh chillies, deseed
10 cloves garlic
12 shallots
3 thumb size ginger
1 1/2 thumb size fresh tumeric
1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 candlenut (buah keras)
5 tbsp water

Method:
- Heat oil in wok. Add in chicken and fry until browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Add blended chilli paste into heated oil. Fry until fragrant and the oil bubbles through, i.e. paste turns from bright red colour to a dark red colour. If using non-stick wok, make sure there's enough oil to prevent paste from sticking and getting burnt.
- Add in serai and onions. Fry until fragrant before adding chicken. Stir to coat chicken pieces with chilli paste.
- Add in water and bring to boil. Next add in tomato, green chilli and salt to taste. Lower the heat and simmer covered for another 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked and tender. Leave curry covered and set aside at least 30 minutes before serving.