Last night, I made Ayam Buah Keluak from the book Nyonya Specialties (probably pictured several times in the dinner thread)... but without the Buah Keluak as I haven't seen them around in the US - not that I've actually looked that hard. I first had this dish (among others) in a local Peranakan restaurant in Singapore and loved it - it was my favorite of the night, so I was happy to see that it was a featured recipe of this book, that I got from my local library. Now, it's in a regular rotation of fast week night dishes since the most time consuming component is the spice paste, which can be made in bulk in advance and frozen. Every few months, I'll make a batch which winds up making 9-10 meals worth of paste. In the paste is garlic, shallots, galangal, turmeric, chilis, shrimp paste, candlenuts and curry leaves (I'm probably forgetting some). The paste is fried in oil and then I portion into 100g portions and freeze. Making the final meal is fast - I dump the frozen lump of paste in about a cup of water, cover and simmer until the paste defrosts. While that's going, I make a thick tamarind puree using 25g tamarind and 50g water... add that to the simmering curry along with a bit of salt and MSG, throw in 4 chicken thighs seasoned with a little salt, sugar and MSG, and simmer uncovered for about 12 minutes, turning once in the middle. It is a very savory curry, and the smell of shrimp paste perfums our apartment (and hallway) for a few days afterward!
