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Malaysian

Kari ayam

Non-vegetarian

Malaysia's everyday chicken curry: chicken and potatoes in a rich, coconut-milk gravy built on meat curry powder, chilli paste and the 'four friends' of whole spices.

Kari ayam is a Malaysian curry, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes and made with chicken thigh, curry powder and potato. It serves 5 and is rated easy to cook.

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Delicious Malaysian ketupat and spicy chicken curry served in bowls, ready for a traditional meal.
Photo: N Sopyan / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
20 min
Cook
45 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Serves
5
Level
Easy
Calories
514

Ingredients

5 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the curry powder (opens in a new tab) with the chilli paste and a few tablespoons of the water to a thick paste.

    • 2 min

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil and fry the cinnamon (opens in a new tab), star anise (opens in a new tab), cloves (opens in a new tab), cardamom (opens in a new tab) and curry leaves (opens in a new tab) until fragrant. Add the blended onion (opens in a new tab), shallots (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab) and ginger with the lemongrass (opens in a new tab) and fry until golden.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the curry paste and fry, stirring, until the oil separates (pecah minyak).

    • 6 min
    • medium-low heat
    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Add the chicken and stir to coat, then the potatoes (opens in a new tab), remaining water and salt. Cover and simmer until the chicken and potatoes are tender.

    • 25 min
    • medium-low heat

    Food safety: Chicken must reach 74 °C at the thickest part.

  5. Step 5

    Stir in the coconut milk (opens in a new tab) and sugar (opens in a new tab) and simmer gently for 5 minutes without boiling hard.

    • 5 min
    • low heat

About this dish

Origin
Malaysia · Commonly attributedCooked across Malay, Indian-Muslim (mamak) and Nyonya kitchens, each with its own touches; also very popular in Singapore.Also popular in SingaporeMore food from Malaysia
Dish
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered
Taste
spicy (chilli heat), creamy, aromatic / warmly spiced, savoury
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Make-ahead · Child-friendly
Cook more with
Chicken thigh · Curry powder · Potato · Dried whole chillies · Cinnamon · Star anise / anise
Techniques
Simmering · Bhunao

Allergens

  • May contain: Mustardfrom curry powder
  • May contain: Celeryfrom curry powder

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

514 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 475 g · recipe makes 5

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 25%
  • Carbohydrate 28%
  • Fat 47%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy514 kcal108 kcal
Protein33.3 g7 g
Carbohydrate36.6 g7.7 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars0.8 g0.2 g
Fibre——
Fat27.5 g5.8 g
Saturated fat13.4 g2.8 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol132 mg28 mg
Sodium857 mg181 mg
Salt equivalent2.1 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1260 mg
Calcium
96 mg
Iron
5.9 mg
Magnesium
114 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
34 µg
Vitamin C
29 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0.9 µg
Folate (DFE)
52 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Not counted (tiny amounts or “to taste”): curry leaves.
  • Star anise / anise: Anise seed (FDC 171316) used as a stand-in for star anise.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Let the curry rest an hour or overnight — it tastes better the next day.

Common mistakes

  • Not frying the curry paste until the oil separates (pecah minyak) — the curry tastes raw and powdery.

Serve with

  • Serve with rice, roti canai or crusty bread.

Storage

  • Keeps 3 days refrigerated; better the next day.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently until piping hot.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in step 4

Masalas in this recipe

Make the masala first, then come back to finish the dish.

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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