South Africa’s Cape Malay Curry Is Worth a Try

Many places around the world are known for their curry¹ dishes. Curry is a kind of sauce that is highly seasoned and sometimes spicy². The sauce is usually combined with vegetables and meat and served over rice.

Some of the best-known curries³ come from India and Thailand. Other countries in Asia, including Indonesia and Japan, also have their own special curry dishes.

South Africa is not so well known for its curry. But food expert Christopher Kimball recently praised a curry he found in Cape⁴ Town. He wrote recently about the dish, called Cape Malay, in a piece for The Associated Press.

Kimball describes Cape Malay curry as somewhat similar to Indian curry. But it is lighter⁵ in flavor, or taste.

Kimball learned about making the dish from cooking teacher Faldela Tolker. She told him the spices used in Cape Malay curry are similar to those in Indian curry, but they are used differently. They are not ground fine, like they are in Indian curry. Cape Malay Curry uses the whole form of each spice. After the sauce is cooked, the individual pieces of spice are removed.

The result is a lighter, brighter, milder curry than most people are used to, Kimball notes.

Kimball included a recipe for Cape Malay chicken curry in his new cookbook, Milk Street Tuesday Nights.

Here is how you can make Cape Malay curry for yourself.

First, mix spices together. You will need 15 milliliters (mL) each of whole fennel and cumin seeds, and five mL each of turmeric, salt and pepper. Put about 15 mL of the spice mixture onto uncooked chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken pieces called thighs⁶ work best, Kimball says.

Next, heat some cooking oil in a large pan. Add two medium-sized onions, cut into small pieces. Cook them for 8 to 10 minutes until they are lightly browned. Then add in four cloves⁷ of chopped garlic, two serrano chili⁸ peppers cut in half, and about 100 grams of fresh ginger⁹. About 30 seconds later, add in about 500 mL of chicken broth¹⁰ and 500 mL of cherry tomatoes, along with two whole cinnamon sticks, two bay leaves and the rest of the spice mixture you prepared earlier. Then, add the chicken thighs to the pan. Make sure the chicken is covered with the liquid.

Bring the liquid to a simmer, then cover and cook for 25 minutes. Stir in about half a kilogram of potatoes, cut into small pieces. Cover the pan again and return to a simmer. Cook until the chicken and potatoes are soft, another 12 to 15 minutes.

Safely remove the chicken from the pan and put it onto a large plate. Remove the ginger, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and chili halves. Continue to simmer over medium heat for another five minutes.

Pull the chicken into bite-size pieces, then return it to the pan and stir to combine. Stir in juice from one lemon, then taste the mixture and add additional salt and pepper if needed.

After the cooking is finished, pour the curry mixture into a serving bowl and put fresh mint on top. Serve over basmati or jasmine rice.

The lemony, richly flavored curry takes about one hour to prepare and serves six people.

Words in This Story

milder - adj. less strong or harsh in taste

recipe - n. a set of instructions for making food

pan - n a usually shallow and open metal container that has a handle and that is used for cooking or baking

broth - n. liquid in which food (such as meat) has been cooked

simmer -v. to cook (something) so that it is almost boiling for a certain period of time

1 curry   

n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革

参考例句：

• Rice makes an excellent complement to a curry dish.有咖喱的菜配米饭最棒。
• Add a teaspoonful of curry powder.加一茶匙咖喱粉。

2 spicy   

adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的

参考例句：

• The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
• Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。

3 curries   

n.咖喱食品( curry的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Coconut is a basic ingredient for many curries. 椰子是多种咖喱菜的基本成分。
• Coriander is used in Indian curries, gin, American cigarettes, and sausage. 胡荽多被用在：印度咖哩粉，杜松子酒，美国香烟，香肠。 来自互联网

4 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

5 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

6 thighs   

n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿

参考例句：

• He's gone to London for skin grafts on his thighs. 他去伦敦做大腿植皮手术了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The water came up to the fisherman's thighs. 水没到了渔夫的大腿。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 cloves   

n.丁香（热带树木的干花，形似小钉子，用作调味品，尤用作甜食的香料）( clove的名词复数 )；蒜瓣(a garlic ~|a ~of garlic)

参考例句：

• My country is rich in cinnamon, cloves, ginger, pepper, and precious stones. 我国盛产肉桂、丁香、生姜、胡椒和宝石。 来自辞典例句
• Ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper and cloves are common spices. 姜、肉豆蔻、肉桂、胡椒、丁香都是常用的香料。 来自辞典例句

8 chili   

n.辣椒

参考例句：

• He helped himself to another two small spoonfuls of chili oil.他自己下手又加了两小勺辣椒油。
• It has chocolate,chili,and other spices.有巧克力粉，辣椒，和其他的调味品。

9 ginger   

n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气

参考例句：

• There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
• Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。

10 broth   

n.原(汁)汤(鱼汤、肉汤、菜汤等)

参考例句：

• Every cook praises his own broth.厨子总是称赞自己做的汤。
• Just a bit of a mouse's dropping will spoil a whole saucepan of broth.一粒老鼠屎败坏一锅汤。