Kukul Mas Maluwa (Sri Lankan Chicken Curry)

By Samantha Seneviratne

Published April 27, 2021

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
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Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(460)
Comments
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The hallmarks of this tasty Sri Lankan chicken curry include creamy coconut milk and homemade curry powder, which is made by toasting and grinding whole spices. Don’t let the long ingredient list deter you; once you have everything together, this dish is very easy to make. Tiny bird chiles are small but potent. In Sri Lanka, the curries are spicy, but you can use as few or as many chiles as you’d like. Prepare it in advance and you’ll find that it’s even more delicious the next day. Serve with some long-grain rice and a few different vegetable curries.

Featured in: A Sri Lankan Chicken Curry Grounded in Memory

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • 4 teaspoons coriander seeds

  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds

  • 2 teaspoons fennel seeds

  • ½ teaspoon cardamom seeds (from about 8 green pods)

  • ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns

  • 20 fresh curry leaves

  • ¼ cup coconut oil

  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped

  • 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger

  • 1 tablespoon ground sweet paprika

  • 2 teaspoons ground turmeric

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 3 medium plum tomatoes, chopped

  • 1 to 3 bird’s-eye chiles, minced

  • 1 whole (3- to 4-pound) chicken, skin removed, chicken cut into 10 pieces

  • 2 (6-inch) pieces pandan leaves

  • 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick

  • 1 fresh lemongrass stalk, trimmed, cut into 4-inch lengths, and bashed lightly

  • 1 cup full-fat coconut milk

  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

11 grams carbs; 150 milligrams cholesterol; 634 calories; 14 grams monosaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams saturated fat; 48 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 767 milligrams sodium; 40 grams protein; 3 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small skillet, combine the coriander, cumin, fennel, cardamom, peppercorns and 15 curry leaves. Heat the spice mixture over medium heat, stirring often, until the spices are toasted and fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder and grind into powder. (You should have about 3 ½ tablespoons.) Set aside the toasted curry powder.

  2. Step 2

    In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the coconut oil over medium-high. Add the onion, garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened, about 8 minutes. Add the toasted curry powder, paprika, turmeric and salt, and cook, stirring, another 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, chiles and remaining 5 curry leaves.

  3. Step 3

    Add the chicken and toss to cover it in the onion mixture. Add the pandan, cinnamon and lemongrass, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  4. Step 4

    Add the coconut milk and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes more. (The light meat will be cooked before the dark meat; you can simply remove it when it’s done and add it back in when the dark meat is cooked.)

  5. Step 5

    Add the vinegar and season to taste with salt.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
460 user ratings
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Comments

Sulman Afridi

Most Indian groceries don’t have fresh pandan leaves (at least not in the NYC area) and what is there are paan leaves. They’re very different though you could get away with interchanging them in certain cases but I don’t recommend it. Instead try getting a bottle of Kewra water (or Keora depending). It’s the concentrated essence of pandan leaves and is use much more commonly in South Asian dishes than the fresh leaves. Just a splash to the whole dish is all you’ll need and it keeps for ages.

Roni

add potatoes!

Sabey

I buy frozen pandanus leaves at Kalustyans in NYC. As others have noted, they can also be found at East Asian grocery stores. A good substitute could be a strip of lime rind. This is a much loved curry from my childhood that I make regularly and while it's great with curry leaves and Pandanus it's still good without.

Steve

I made this as written and it was absolutely delicious! There are really no substitutes for pandan leaves( frozen at the south east Asian grocery store) or curry leaves ( frozen or fresh at an Indian grocery store). Best to leave them out rather than add things like vanilla. I use what I need and keep all my herbs and spices frozen as I make a lot of international dishes and they keep for a very long time. I will definitely make this dish again.

Shane Tanner

I’ve done some research and I’m reading that adding a few drops of vanilla extract gives you an 8 out of 10 for a substitute for Pandan as it’s really rare in Western Markets, especially here in San Diego.

penny

Bashing about lemon grass is sort of a pain. But lemon grass can be grated with a microplane.

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