Chicken and Lamb Knuckle Curry. Old Cape, Malay-style. South African. Serve with Sambal Salad - Totally Addictive!
I used to eat this curry 2 - 4 times a week, back in my heyday when I used to buy a lot of black clothing, which hides curry stains. This curry is soo delish ! Today I'm a lot older and watch my weight, but I still have my curry, at least 1 - 3 times a week. Today I just weigh my food and count my calories.
Notes:
You may experiment with the fennel. At one time I used to add about 2/3 more fennel to cumin. Roast your seeds, whole (excluding cinnamon and star anise) in a wetted teacup, covered, for 90 seconds in a 1000 watt microwave oven or just until they release their aroma. Please do NOT scorch your seeds! Fennel holds its flavor better if you add a light sprinkling later on during the cooking process. A fairly coarse grind is preferred as it will hold its flavor during the long slow cooking process. Fennel if too finely ground tends to lose its strength fairly rapidly. You may also save some of your ground spices (masala) to enhance your curry just before serving with a few extra roasted fennel seeds, whole or coarsely ground in a coffee grinder.
Serve with fluffy white steamed rice or Rotis. I add a few squeezes lemon juice once done for a nice tang or you may add any leftover pickling juice from your pickled onions or gherkins which add an excellent flavor to your curry & don’t forget it is a must-have ingredient for your homemade mustard too!
Tip:
Tomatoes grated directly into the pot. Skins stay behind, but nowadays I just add sugar and salt to taste & pre-cook or steam my tomatoes all together in one large micro-safe bowl. No water added. Covered with a dinner plate & then puree when soft. I bottle them whilst still bubbling hot for later use. Of the Roma or oval or Italian shaped tomatoes, their skins just disappear into the puree adding to the lovely red color.
Note on potatoes:
Use those big round ugly potatoes that burst open, all fluffed up when softened. Do NOT add any salt until they are fork-tender! When beginning the curry, add 2-3 potatoes in the beginning, which will disintegrate into your curry creating a natural thickener - then you may follow with the balance of your potatoes, later, once your meat is almost done.
Ingredients:
1 – 1.5 kg whole chicken, cut into portions or lamb knuckles
2 very large onions, thinly sliced or chopped
1 kg potatoes or more, but there must be enough to thicken up curry so add 2-3 in the beginning followed by the rest later on
30 ml oil or a mixture of oil to butter (half & half)
8 large cloves of fresh garlic
1 piece of fresh ginger (use 1 part to 2 parts garlic stamped to a paste with salt)
15 ml (1 tbsp) cumin seed
5 ml (1 tsp) aniseed
15 ml (1 tbsp) freshly ground or pounded coriander seeds
60 ml (2 heaped tablespoons) leaf masala curry powder with curry leaves
1 -2 cloves, whole
10 ml salt
375 ml water
2 small to medium fresh ripe tomatoes
A sprinkling of curry leaves is what makes it so lovely!
1 -2 bay leaves
1 – 2 star aniseed, whole
Method:
Saute onions in heated oil until golden brown. About 5 – 10 minutes.
Add Chicken or lamb knuckles to onions.
Add your ginger & garlic paste (I use the back flat end of a braai or barbecue hook to stamp it to a paste) with all your remaining spices together with 125 ml water to pot & simmer, covered for about 20 minutes or until all is well blended.
Add tomatoes together with part potatoes and simmer a further 10 minutes.
Add remaining water & potatoes if making chicken curry.
If you are making lamb knuckle curry (delicious!), add potatoes when the lamb knuckles are becoming tender, so the potatoes will be soft when lamb knuckles are lovely and tender. Don’t allow the meat to go stringy – Timing is key!
Serve with plain white fluffy steamed rice or roti and a tomato & onion
Fluffy White Rice: (use 1/2 cup measured raw, uncooked rice per person)
Method:
In the microwave, using a microwave oven steamer, add your rice together with just enough water to cover, or improvise by using a similar micro safe container which has a lid. Close the lid and cook on high for 20 – 30 minutes or until the rice has absorbed the water. Remember that rice swells to 3 times its size when done.
Use the same method of cooking in a pot on the stove. When rice is close to done, empty the contents into a large sieve or colander, and place over a pot of hot simmering water so that the rice can steam & fluff up. Cover with a dinner plate or a pot lid, or whatever you can find to keep the steam in. Do not overcook. Fluff up your rice with a fork before serving.
Malay Rotis (Makes 7 – 8) --OR--
A
This recipe comes from the book, “Cape Malay Cooking” by Faldela Williams. I have converted the original recipe to include the 50 g self-raising flour into the cake flour.
Ingredients:
400 g (800ml) cake flour
Pinch baking powder
3 ml or (1.5 g) 5 ml salt
45 ml oil or softened butter
250 ml of cold water
50 g (100ml) cake flour
90 g butter
50 ml melted butter mixed with 50 ml oil
Method:
Combine flours & salt in a bowl. Add oil or butter, rubbing it into flour to form a crumbly mixture. Add water & mix to a soft dough. Knead, adding more flour if required to make an even-textured pliable dough.
Leave covered to rest for 30 minutes. Divide dough into 7 – 8 pieces. Roll each out onto a very lightly floured surface, into a circle of 20 cm in diameter. Dot with 15 ml butter & sprinkle with flour. Roll & stretch into thick ropes of dough (See my original handwritten draft here). Roll up both ends of the ropes; one side clockwise & the other side anticlockwise, folding one half flat on top of the other. Rotis may be frozen at this stage, interleaved with plastic film. Allow to rest, covered, for about 1 hour. Roll out on a lightly floured surface into circles of about 20 cm in diameter. Heat a heavy based frying pan or an electric frying pan & fry rotis one at a time, turning occasionally, brushing with melted butter & oil mixture using about 10 ml for each one. Fry until golden. Remove from pan, and pat between the palms of your hands to fluff up their surface. Serve & enjoy!
Sambal salad
All the below are added to your own individual taste.
Ingredients:
Onions, finely diced
Red firm ripe tomatoes, diced into small cubes
English cucumber with peel, diced into small cubes
Green pepper, seeds removed, diced into small cubes (optional)
Pinch of sugar, black pepper & salt added to taste
Fresh coriander leaves (Optional, but really not necessary at all)
Brown vinegar added & just a sprinkling water to reduce sharpness, together with a few drops of oil
Method:
Mix all together. Being careful not to add too much dressing (vinegar, water & oil) serve & enjoy!
That simple!
My old handwritten drafts. My go-to recipe I have been using since my twenties 
My old handwritten drafts. My go-to recipe I have been using since my twenties
