I’ve always wanted to make Cape Malay chicken curry, especially after making bobotie, another classic South African dish. Both dishes are yellow from the use of turmeric, and both are served with yellow rice. Below, bobotie on the left, Cape Malay curry on the right. Both are fabulous, although my preference is probably bobotie; it’s more unique.

The recipe I used is from BBC Good Food, which I found online, because I forgot I owned a South African cookbook. Enter eye rolls. But what I found online were all similar, and very much like an Indian curry.

Cape Malay cuisine is, as its name implies, a fusion of a traditional South African ingredients (specifically from the Cape on the West Coast, now known as Cape Town) and Malaysian influences. Its flavors are well known to locals, and remain a major part of South African culture. Due to its unique quality, especially the spices, Cape Malay cooking has become an important part of South African identity.

I discovered this information about Cape Malay from this website about Cape Town tourism: “From tragic beginnings, Cape Malay has emerged as a strong culture of its own distinct from the Asian, African, and Dutch cultures that have influenced it. The community has a tumultuous history ranging many years, from fighting slavery to resisting their classification under the apartheid government, and playing important roles in the struggle against the unjust former regime”

Cape Malay Chicken Curry
Printable recipe below

2 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, finely grated
2 tbsp finely grated ginger
5 cloves ( I used 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves)
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
seeds from 8 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 cinnamon stick , snapped in half
1 large red chilli, halved, deseeded and sliced
400g (14 ounces) can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp mango chutney
1 chicken stock cube, crumbled
12 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed (I used boneless and skinless chicken breasts)
500g (17 ounces) potato, cut into chunks
Small pack coriander, chopped

For the yellow rice
50g (2 ounces) butter
350g (12 ounces) basmati rice (I used short-grained brown)
50g (2 ounces) raisins
1 tsp golden caster sugar
1 tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp ground white pepper
1 cinnamon stick, snapped in half
8 cardamom pods, lightly crushed

Heat the oil in a large, wide pan. Add the onion and fry for 5 mins until softened, stirring every now and then. Stir in the garlic, ginger and cloves, and cook for 5 mins more, stirring frequently to stop it sticking.

Add all the remaining spices and the fresh chilli, stir briefly, then tip in the tomatoes with 2 cans of water, plus the chutney and crumbled stock cube. Add the chicken thighs, pushing them under the liquid, then cover the pan and leave to cook for 35 mins. Stir well, add the potatoes and cook uncovered for 15-20 mins more until they are tender. Stir in the coriander.

About 10 mins before you want to serve, make the rice. Put the butter, rice, raisins, sugar and spices in a large pan with 550ml (18 ounces) water and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to the boil and, when the butter has melted, stir, cover and cook for 10 mins. Turn off the heat and leave undisturbed for 5 mins. Fluff up and serve with the curry.

I placed the rice on plates, made shallow wells, then placed the curry in the wells.

The flavors are really wonderful. My only complaint is that too much water is in the recipe.

I used a slotted spoon to remove the curry from its broth. I reduced the broth after removing the chicken and potatoes.

The curry flavor is wonderful!