Devil Curry

Debal Curry, a quintessential *Eurasian dish is The Hubs' favourite curry. It is also my favourite recipe to bring to a potluck 'cos I always come home with an empty bowl and lots of compliments! It's like bringing a rum cake to an AA meeting! There's nothing sorrier than leaving a potluck with a plate that is still three-quarters full, don't you agree?
Debal curry is unique to Malaysia and Singapore and is usually made on Boxing day with the leftover meats from the previous day's Christmas feast.  In Creole-Portugese, Debal means  leftovers.  I am guessing that this dish might have been coined Devil Curry because it is laden with chilies and therefore fiery hot.

*Eurasian - A person of mixed European and Asian ancestry.

Many Eurasians in  Malaysia and Singapore  trace their roots to the sixteenth century when Portugal conquered Malacca. Marriages between the Portuguese men and the local women of Chinese, Malay and Indian descent led to a thriving Eurasian community.

Sharing my late Godma's recipe.

DEVIL CURRY

INGREDIENTS
600 gm chicken/pork cut into bite-size pieces
1 onion, quartered
1 tomato, quartered
1 green chili, seeded (optional)

INGREDIENTS TO BE GROUND
6 dried chilies
10 shallots
3 cloves garlic
1 thumb-size ginger
2-3 thin slices fresh turmeric
1 tsp mustard seeds
3-4 tbsp vinegar
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp prepared mustard
2 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
1/2 cup water

METHOD
Heat oil in pan. Fry ground ingredients until oil separates. Add meat, carrot, onion and seasonings. Bring to a boil and simmer for 25-30 mins or until meat is tender. Set aside for 30 mins before serving. Better still, refrigerate overnight if you can resist eating the curry right away as this will allow the flavours to mellow. Devil curry always tastes better the next day!

Have you ever brought a dish to a potluck that nobody ate??