Editor's note:
The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Grace Young's book The Breath of a Wok. Young also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page.
A high-quality curry is key to this recipe's success. I prefer curry paste, which I think has greater depth of flavor than curry powder. Be sure to stir the coconut milk in the can; the cream always floats to the top.
•For this recipe, you can use any combination of split chicken breasts, legs, thighs, and wings. Be sure to trim away excess fat. If you cook the chicken directly from the refrigerator, allow extra braising time for it to reach the proper doneness.
•Yellow curry paste, a popular ingredient in Cantonese cooking, is a spicy blend of turmeric, ginger, peppercorns, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cloves. Look for it in jars in Asian markets, and be sure to cook it only until just fragrant. (If using curry powder instead of paste, be extra vigilant to avoid burning. If the pan begins to smoke, remove it from the heat immediately.)
•Click here for a recipe for homemade chicken stock from Gourmet. If you'd rather buy it, Young recommends the organic brand Pacific, sold in cartons.
