Not all curry dishes are similar. Here is one of the most yummy curry I ever made and yet is not as spicy as many people believed. It is called Kapitan Chicken.
Most westerners who find the taste of oriental cuisine is just too strong for them, and hence reluctant to try. Here is a superb Malaysian dish that's not so spicy and should be more appropriate for those who are not ready to try the hot and spicy Indian and Thai cuisine.This dish is called kapitan introduced by the localized Chinese immigrants in Malaysia.
The name is resulting from a fun story during the British colony time.Based on the Malaysian history, Legend has it one of the Chinese cook of a ship owned by the British was keen to learn how to cook the local cuisine.He knew that there was another Malay woman who can cook very well in the same ship. He decided to ask from the lady on how to cook the dish that she was preparing for dinner. The Malay woman said she was preparing a traditional curry dish, and show him how to cook.
The best kapitan chicken can be found in Penang and Malaka which were colonized by the British and Portuguese from 15th to 19th centuries.The Chinese and Malay who stayed here have developed many western cuisine with a touch of Asian influence.For example, kapitan chicken is based on a Malay curry dish but has been improved by the Chinese and cooked by using a unique set of herbs and spices. The chicken used must be fresh and marinated overnight to make sure it is soft and succulent. The trick is to marinate and deep fried the chicken before it is simmered in a pot of bubbling hot coconut milk.
The major characteristic of chicken kapitan is the use of the traditional Malay spices and herbs but less spicy as compared to the traditional Malay curry.It has a distinct Nyonya flavor as a result of the combination of lemongrass, galangal (a kind of ginger, also all blue ginger ), turmeric ( the regional terms it as yellow ginger ), coconut milk and belacan (local shrimp paste).It is different from the Malay and Indian curry as not only it is cooked with less chili, but is also the mix of spices used.The common spices utilized in Malay and Indian curry for example cumin, fenugreek and fennel are hardly used.Rather, belacan is added in a small amount with large quantity of coconut milk.
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