I think I am banned from Mamma'a kitchen after tonight!! I made a Malay curry and it was spicy. But...a curry isn't a curry without the bite and I refuse to make curry without that 'bite'. I couldn't find all the ingredients I wanted, but I think (and my hubby too) it was really tasty. Mamma is still recovering and is on a overdose of milk and cucumbers. Well, as I was looking through the cupboards, frantically looking for garlic, I discovered the best muscadel from this region...needless to say, I finished the bottle (it was a smallish bottle though!) without anyone in the household knowing about it! I find it very difficult to cook without a glass in my hand. It makes cooking so much more interesting and fun!

As I was making the curry I was thinking about a recipe I once saw in my best friend's house. It was written by hand and it was given to her by a friend, who is very familiar with Malay recipes. Keeping this recipe in mind and the recipe of my mother, who made a sweet and sour Curry for us whenever we were on the road. (this is called 'padkos') We would stop somewhere along the road and eat the chicken curry and curry potatoes together with apricot jam sandwiches and drink sweet black coffee. Later, my mother would come and visit me at my home and the first thing we would eat would be her 'padkos' chicken, which actually made for the trip to my house!

Well, here is my curry recipe. I call it 'Padkos Malay curry'. Enjoy!

1 whole chicken

2 med. onions,

chopped4 cloves garlic,

minced piece of ginger,

chopped 2 tomatoes,

2 Tsp white sugar

chopped1 tsp. yellow mustard seeds

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 tsp. turmeric

1 stick cinnamon

1 1/2 c. chicken stock

2 tbsp. curry powder

1 tsp. gharum masala

1 c. coconut milk

3/4 c Danhia (chopped)

Cut the chicken into pieces and brown in oil. Remove and add chopped onion. Saute until tender. Add garlic and ginger. Add cumin and mustard seed. Fry until the mustard seeds begin to "pop". Add the turmeric and curry powder and stir. Stir the "paste" until the curry powder becomes fragrant; this usually takes 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir until they form a sauce (3-4 minutes). Add the chicken broth, sugar, cinnamon stick and chicken. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked (approximately 45 minutes). Stir in the gharaum masala and add the coconut milk. Cook for another 10 minutes. Stir in the Danhia and served with white rice and sambals.

This curry is wonderful when it is eaten cold. That wil always remind me of 'padkos curry'!