Kari Ayam (Indonesian Chicken Curry)

Kari ayam (chicken curry) is one of the signature dishes of Indonesian cuisine. In spite of the name "curry," this dish does not use Indian curry spice, and is actually a spicy but sweet dish.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) boneless, skinless chicken parts
- 5 Asian shallots, sliced (or ½ cup chopped onions)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ginger, minced or grated
- 1 tsp lemongrass, minced or grated
- 6 kimiri (candlenuts), ground
- 2 salam leaves (Indonesian bay leaves)
- 4 kaffir lime leaves
- ½ tsp turmeric root, ground or grated
- ½ tsp galangal root, ground or grated
- 1 cup (240 ml) coconut milk
- ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
- 2 tbsp gula jawa
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 hot chiles (optional)
- ¼ tsp terasi (fermented shrimp paste)
Steps
- Wash chicken parts.
- Grind garlic, ginger, kimiri nuts, turmeric, galangal, hot chilies, and terasi into paste (bumbu) in food processor or mortar and pestle.
- Cook paste in wok or skillet over medium heat 1 minute.
- Add chicken. Brown.
- Add shallots, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and salam leaves. Sauté 1 minute.
- Add coconut milk. Bring to light boil.
- Simmer on low heat 10 minutes.
Notes from the original
- Serve with white rice (nasi putih), yellow rice (nasi kuning), or coconut rice (nasi uduk).
- Top with fried shallots.
- Substitute fish, shrimp, or lamb for the chicken.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Kari Ayam (Indonesian Chicken Curry)” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-06-29, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo. Kari ayam di Makassar.JPG by Midori, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia. Resized; otherwise unchanged.






