Chicken Mafe
Francis Lam, Rama Dione, Papa Diagne
1247 ratings with an average rating of 5 out of 5 stars
1,247
1 hour 45 minutes, plus marinating time
Chicken Kottu Roti
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes; 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings, plus leftover curry
- 1½pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 6 thighs)
- 2teaspoons soy sauce
- 2teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- 3tablespoons Sri Lankan roasted curry powder
- 3½teaspoons Sri Lankan chile powder (or other medium-hot chile powder)
- 3tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1tablespoon minced ginger
- 4cloves garlic, sliced
- 1tablespoon minced pandan leaves (or to taste)
- 4curry leaves (or to taste)
- 2green cardamom pods
- 12-inch stick cinnamon
- 1small hot green chile, sliced
- 1medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 5ounces diced tomato
- 1cup coconut milk
- 1tablespoon cider vinegar
- Salt, to taste
- ½cup vegetable oil
- 2eggs, lightly beaten
- 2teaspoons finely minced ginger
- 1tablespoon chopped pandan leaves
- 10curry leaves
- 5scallions, cut in ½-inch pieces
- 1cup julienne carrots (about ¼ pound)
- 1medium red onion, diced
- 1teaspoon soy sauce
- Salt, to taste
- 1pound Sri Lankan roti, cut into ½ inch pieces (or other flaky flatbread, like Indian paratha)
- 2chicken thighs, curry, chopped
- ¾cup sauce from chicken curry
For the Curry Sauce
For the Kottu Roti
Preparation
For the Curry
- Step 1
In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, kosher salt, 1 tablespoon curry powder and 1½ teaspoons chile powder. Marinate 30 minutes to overnight.
- Step 2
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ginger, and sizzle about 20 seconds. Add garlic, pandan leaves, curry leaves, cardamom and cinnamon. Cook, stirring, until the ginger and garlic are golden brown. Add chile, onion and a generous pinch of salt. Stir until the onion is softened and translucent, 3 minutes. Add remaining curry and chile powders, and cook, until darkened and aromatic. Stir in tomato.
- Step 3
Add chicken, coconut milk and enough water to cover, about 1 cup. Bring to a boil, and add the vinegar and salt to taste (you may not need it). Simmer, partly covered, for 35 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked through. Reserve for kottu roti. Leftover curry may be frozen.
For the Kottu Roti
- Step 4
Heat a large, well-seasoned cast-iron pan or wok over high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil just starts to smoke, add the eggs, and scramble them until cooked dry. Transfer to a bowl, and wipe the pan clean. (Alternatively, you can scramble them in a nonstick pan.)
- Step 5
Return the pan to medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of oil and ginger. When it is aromatic, add pandan and curry leaves, and cook, stirring, until the ginger is light golden, 20 seconds. Add scallions and carrots. Stir for 1 minute, then add onion. Cook, stirring, until onion has only a little snap, about 3 minutes. Add the soy sauce and salt to taste, and remove to a bowl. Wipe the pan out.
- Step 6
Return pan to medium heat, and add the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. (If the flatbread you are using is very oily, use less oil in the pan.) When it’s shimmering hot, add roti, and stir until it feels dry and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add chicken, cooked vegetables and eggs. Add the curry sauce, and continue to stir until hot all the way through. Taste, add more salt or soy sauce if necessary and serve.
Tip
- Feel free to add or omit seasonings.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Debbie
Haven't tried it yet, but a search for pandan indicates that it is also called screw pine, otherwise known as kewra. Kewra water is available at Indian groceries, so I may try that as a substitute.
Would have been nice to have a recipe for Sri Lankan curry powder, but easily found on the Internet.
AG
As a substitute to roti, I have used wraps. Cut each wrap in thin long strips like fetuccine.
Sandy
There is a version of this in Sri Lanka that uses "String Hoppers" instead of roti. I used thin Thai Rice Noodles as a substitute. Break the noodles into pieces before mixing it. Tastes authentic and not as heavy as the roti version. I bet thin egg noodles would work as well.
Kevin
Absolutely fantastic recipe! It really took me back to my trip to Sri Lanka and the little restaurant in Ella where this dish was introduced to my partner and I. I found a recipe elsewhere for roasted Sri Lankan curry powder which was an extra step, but I think it’s worth it. The pandan comes in a quantity that is far too much for just this dish, so I used it to make a pandan extract which I used to also make coconut pandan ice cream and pandan simple syrup for cocktails.
Ellie
Meera Sodha has a vegeterian recipe for this in Fresh India that is weeknight friendly and just as delicious -- this recipe is such a project, I won't make it again
DW
This recipe came out really well. I doubled the amount of chicken and added extra curry leaves for flavor. Also used bone in chicken thighs for the curry as the meat is more moist and lemongrass. I simply took the meat off the bone for the main dish.
Doublel
This was delicious, I made it pretty much as written, adding a bit more chili and cayenne. However, having just returned from Sri Lanka where I watched this being cooked many times, I have to say I never saw anyone use Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce! Still, I’m not a purist and totally enjoyed the recipe. And, as others have noted, it really is not as hard/complicated as it appears at first glance.
Sandip
Do leftovers work? Or does the flatbread get too soggy?
AG
As a substitute to roti, I have used wraps. Cut each wrap in thin long strips like fetuccine.
Anke
I did the exact same thing and it works like a charm.
Nate
Cooked this last night, turned out DELICIOUS! Like others say it looks difficult but really is just two steps: making the curry, and while it's simmering, making the veggies/roti.
We did not use specifically Sri Lankan curry or chili - just those what we had in our spice rack. To keep the heat mild (kitty roti can be very spicy), we only used 1 t. total of chili powder.
Added a couple of handfuls of cabbage to the veggies, worked well.
Omitted pandan leaves.
Did beef instead of chicken.
Debbie
Haven't tried it yet, but a search for pandan indicates that it is also called screw pine, otherwise known as kewra. Kewra water is available at Indian groceries, so I may try that as a substitute.
Would have been nice to have a recipe for Sri Lankan curry powder, but easily found on the Internet.
Tamara
You can find pandan leaves at thai or Asian markets :)
soigne
I think pine water would be too strong for this dish. The flavor would dominate.
Renuka
get pandan (kewra)... rampe in Sinhalese in any half decent chinatown. Or good Asian supermarket. Then cut them into about 1" pieces and freeze. I always keep pandan and lemongrass in the freezer cut up. Ready to use. Ditto with fresh curry leaves, which I rinse and then freeze. ps Fresh pandan leaf (or frozen from fresh state at home) is key for taste. Not syrup/water.
dominiquelemagnifique
What a wonderful dish, great recipe, however, because of
a personal preference, I went with pork tenderloin, instead of chicken: Delicious!
The only ingredient I left out was the pandan leaves, I'll get them for the next time!
Robert Lafleche
I have made this recipe several times already. A top ten favorite.
It does seem complicated at first but if taken one step at a time, all goes well.
I have also made it without the eggs or bread, as the chicken and veg curry are excellent by themselves.
Once, I even toasted a piece good bread (not flat), cut it in small cubes and added it to my plate.
I usually have more chicken than veg curry, but the veg curry takes no time to make, so it's easy to make more.
Never used pandan leaves.
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