Chicken Malay Doopiaja
A traditional Malay-style chicken curry with double onions (doopiaja) - both ground and fried sliced onions - cooked in coconut milk with aromatic spices. The dish features a rich, flavorful sauce with layers of onion flavor.
Ingredients
- 3 ounces Ghee (clarified butter) (About 6 tablespoons; can substitute with vegetable oil or butter)
- 1 whole chicken (3-4 lbs) Chicken, cut into pieces (Cut into 8-10 pieces, or use 2 lbs chicken thighs and drumsticks)
- 12 medium onions Onions, sliced lengthways into fine slices (Divided: use for frying and chopping)
- 4 teaspoons Ground onions (onion paste) (Blend or grate onions to a paste)
- 1 teaspoon Ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Ground chilies (chili powder) (Adjust to taste for heat level)
- 0.5 teaspoon Ground ginger
- 0.25 teaspoon Ground garlic (garlic powder) (Or use 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced)
- 1.5 teaspoons Salt (Adjust to taste)
- 1 cup Strong coconut milk (Use full-fat coconut milk, not light)
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Instructions
- 1Cut the chicken into 8-10 pieces (drumsticks, thighs, breast pieces). Slice 12 onions lengthways into fine slices. Prepare the ground onion paste by blending or grating onions.
- 2In a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, warm the ghee over medium heat until melted and hot.
- 3Add the sliced onions to the hot ghee and fry over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown and crispy, about 12-15 minutes. Remove the fried onions with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
- 4In the same pot with the remaining ghee, add the ground onion paste, turmeric, chili powder, ground ginger, and ground garlic. Fry over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture turns brown and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes.
- 5Add the chicken pieces and salt to the pot with the fried spices. Stir well to coat the chicken with the spice mixture. Fry over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until the chicken is browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.
- 6While the chicken is browning, finely chop the fried onions that were set aside earlier.
- 7Pour in the coconut milk and add the finely chopped fried onions. Stir well to combine. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened.
- 8Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve hot with rice or flatbreads.
