Kuku Paka
Overview
Kuku paka is a coconut chicken curry from the Swahili coast, chicken grilled or seared first, then finished in a thick, spiced coconut sauce. It is one of the clearest demonstrations of how coastal East African food came together. The Swahili coast of Kenya and Tanzania sat on Indian Ocean trade routes for centuries, and African, Arab and Indian cooking met and merged there. Kuku paka carries all three: the coconut and the technique are coastal African, the spice set is recognisably Indian, and the whole is something that exists nowhere else. The name is Swahili, kuku is chicken. It is also known simply as Kenyan chicken curry, though that undersells how specific it is. The two-stage cooking is the part that matters. Grilling or searing the chicken before it goes into the sauce gives a charred edge that a straight simmer cannot produce, and that smokiness against the sweetness of the coconut is the whole character of the dish. It is served with rice, chapati or naan, all three of which are standard on that coast for the same historical reasons.
AFN Heritage Note
Kuku paka comes from the Swahili coast of Kenya and Tanzania, where centuries of Indian Ocean trade brought African, Arab and Indian cooking into contact. Kuku is Swahili for chicken.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Add the onion, chiles, ginger and garlic to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add a little water if necessary.
- 2
Heat the oil or ghee in a large pot or wok over medium flame.
- 3
Add the onion puree, curry powder and cumin and sauté, stirring frequently, for 5 to 8 minutes, or until cooked down.
- 4
Stir in the tomatoes and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
- 5
Add the chicken, coconut milk, salt and pepper.
- 6
Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through and tender, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.
- 7
Add more water as needed.
- 8
Stir in the cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve with with rice or chapatti.
Africook’s Notes
- Grill or sear the chicken before it meets the sauce. The char is not optional, it is the flavour the dish is built on.
- Keep the coconut milk at a gentle simmer. Boiled hard it splits and turns grainy.
- Use full-fat coconut milk. Reduced-fat versions split more readily and give a thin sauce.
- Finish with lime. The acidity cuts the richness and lifts the whole pot.
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