When people think of a chicken curry dish, the first recipe comes to their mind is usually of a delicious Indian chicken curry. But in fact, chicken curry dishes exist across the globe, especially in the Asian countries, such as China (Hong Kong), Japan, Korea, Thai, Malaysia, and many others (you name it!). 'Curry' to most of us is a dish commonly cooked with vegetable and/or meat in brown, creamy, flavorful thick sauce.
Let’s look into what we know - seasoning for a chicken curry recipe comes with many forms like curry leaves, curry powder, curry sticks, curry sauce in packages, curry paste in jars, and condensed curry brick etc. Each country has its own preference for using which form of seasoning for a chicken curry. With that being said, curries are practically easy to make with the help of modern technology -- instant curry seasoning; beginners can master it in the blink of an eye.
Honestly, the beauty of curry is that people could be creative with it, meat-free or full of meat, thick as gravy or light as soup. Let alone the ultimate art of curry is the perfect combination of various blends of herbs and spices (eg: coriander, cumin, ginger, and turmeric). Therefore, it is totally not hard to understand the popularity of curry across the world because it is so droolingly good.
Because of our love for curry, we have collected a few personal chicken curry recipes to share with you. Without any stalling, let’s share some INTERNATIONAL secret curry recipes!
First, let’s start with our Hong Kong style chicken curry. Hong Kong style chicken curry is my childhood favorite. I still remember how we scoffed down the curry with that fluffy white rice in seconds.
Find a recipe of Hong Kong style Chicken curry here.
Hong Kong style curry is usually made with the curry sauce/paste (i.e. Goldfish Brand Chinese Curry Sauce) with coconut milk. The spirit of our curry is the tad of sweetness from the coconut milk in that rich golden-yellow gravy. Yet, the potatoes are so soft and will melt in your mouth. Furthermore, one of the most famous Hong Kong street foods is called “curry fishballs,” which is made with deep-fried fishballs (meatballs made by fish) and curry. In addition, curry beef brisket over rice is one other popular dish in Hong Kong.
Second, Japanese Curry is always an all-time favorite in many households. It was introduced by Britain during the Meiji period.
Here we have a great Japanese chicken curry recipe.
Japanese usually eat their curry with steamed white rice and pickled ginger. It is usually sweeter and milder because apples or honey are sometimes added. Fun fact, Japanese Curry is usually in a darker brown color because they don’t use as much coconut milk as other countries in their cooking. (TIPs: a small scoop of peanut butter can enhance the aroma of Japanese curry.) They usually use the condensed curry bricks for making their mouth-watering curry. For example, the best seller of Japanese curry -- S&B Golden Curry.
Third, Korean Curry is similar to Japanese Curry but a bit hotter and spicier, which was introduced by the Japanese in the early 1900s.
Find a tasty Korean chicken curry recipe.
Moreover, Koreans tend to not cook their curry with pork but with beef, chicken, and seafood. Also, Koreans love to eat their curry with udon noodles other than rice.
Next, Thai Curry is more “traditional” compared to the above three styles. Thai Curry has been being interpreted into many versions such as Green curry and Massaman curry.
Follow this link to read an excellent Thai green curry recipe.
Truth to be told, Massaman curry is actually a Thai cuisine that is a modification of Malay curry. It uses a fair amount of coconut milk in the dish. Unlike other styles of curries, coconut milk is always added in the first few steps.
A nice Thai Massaman chicken curry recipe is here.
This dish originated in Central Thailand in the 1500s. The key to making a Massaman curry is the exquisite balance between the curry and coconut milk. Massaman curry is usually made with beef but chicken is also favored. Yet, Thai curries could be made with beef, duck, chicken, and pork.
Now, speaking of Malaysian curry, Rendang curry is a perfect combo of coconut milk and the complex mixture of ground spice like lemongrass, ginger, and galangal. Unlike other curries, it is rich but doesn’t have a lot of sauce. It is because “rendang” actually means to cook slowly until the liquid is all gone.
Read a recipe for Malaysian rendang chicken stir fry.
Traditionally, Rendang curry (dry) is very dark in color. But, after the modification (shorter cook time) from the neigbhor countries due to their love for this dish, Rendang curry (Kalio) in their version has more liquid and a lighter brown color owing to the stronger presence of coconut milk.
Last but not least, Indian Curry is made differently based on the region of India. Northern India is specialized for Korma and Tandoori-style curry; Southern India is known for the hot and spicy curry; Eastern India uses a lot of chili peppers; Western India has seafood and coconut in their curries; Central India is a mixture of everything.
Here you find recipe for Kerala (South India) style chicken curry without coconut.
Just like all of other recipes, Indian curry could also be kids-friendly and doesn’t have to be pungent in taste. As a matter of fact, curry always tastes better the next day because it gives the curry more time to marinate the ingredient with its powerful herbs and spices.
Because of the international love for curry, now no matters what coutry we are in, we can always have a taste of that yumminess. That’s the magic of curry! BTW, all recipes could also be made in vegetarian style and replaced with evaporated/regular milk.
