Kuku Paka: African Chicken Curry Recipe

Kuku paka: African chicken curry with boiled eggs served with rice and coriander.

Kuku Paka: African Chicken Curry Recipe

I love curry, and they ain't all Indian; Kuku Paka is a creamy, mild African chicken curry made with coconut milk. My version is based on Tanzanian variants and features grilled chicken in a coconut milk sauce laced with turmeric.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Anglo Tanzanian

Keyword african chicken curry, east african chicken curry, east african kuku paka, kuku paka

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Marinade Time 1

Total Time 2

Servings Servings

Calories 930kcal

Author Brian Jones

Ingredients

350 g Chicken Thighs 12oz (boneless and skinless)
1 Medium Tomato 125g
1 Small Onion 100g
4 Garlic Cloves
15 g Ginger ½ thumb sized piece
2-3 Chilli Peppers (Go as hot or mild as you want)
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
¾ teaspoon Ground Turmeric
½ teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoon Cooking Oil
3 Large Eggs
400 ml Tin of Coconut Milk 14oz

Instructions

Roughly chop the tomato and add it to a mini blender.
Cut the onion in half, peel it, roughly chop it and add it to the tomato.
Peel the garlic and ginger and toss them into the blender.
Remove the stems from the chilli peppers and add them to the blender with the ground cumin, coriander, turmeric and salt, then blend everything to a smooth paste.
Place the chicken thighs in a bowl and pour the paste over the chicken. Allow it to marinate for around an hour.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and wipe off the chicken.
Heat a 28cm or 11" frying pan over a medium heat, and when it is hot, add the reserved marinade and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly.

You are looking for the marinade to darken a little, and you should drive off lots of the moisture (see video below), but be careful, you do not want to burn the spices.

Now is also a good time to preheat your grill (broiler) as high as it will go.

Bring an 18cm or 7" pan of water to a boil, add the eggs and cook for 8-9 minutes. Then cool and peel.
After the marinade has been cooking for 10 minutes, pour in the coconut milk and cook for 20 minutes over a low heat, stirring occasionally.
As soon as the coconut milk goes into the sauce, place the chicken onto a baking grid and slide them under the grill (broiler) for 20 minutes, turning every 4-5 minutes.
Whilst the chicken is cooking, cut the boiled eggs in half.
Once the chicken is nicely grilled, cut it into bite-sized pieces and add it to the sauce, along with the boiled eggs, any juices from the grilled chicken and the water. Cook for a final 5-6 minutes, stirring carefully so as not to break up the eggs.

Video

Nutrition