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Kuku wa Nazi (Chicken in Coconut Milk)

Kuku wa Nazi (Chicken in Coconut Milk) reads umami 6.4, richness 5.9 and sourness 5.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Swahili Coast main, about 1 hr 31 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 6.8 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 4.6 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 6.6 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.4 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 6.8 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.7 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.4 · Richness 5.9 · Sourness 5.1 · Citrus 4.8 · Salinity 4.1 · Allium 4.0 · Sweetness 3.9 · Nutty 2.9 · Heat 2.7 · Warm Spice 2.6 · Herbaceous 2.5 · Fruity 2.4 · Earthy 2.3 · Floral 1.7 · Bitterness 1.2

What's in it (16)

• chicken thighs — 1200 g
• coconut milk — 368 g
• coconut oil — 27 g
• onions — 300 g
• garlic — 15 g
• fresh ginger — 30 g
• cumin — 10 g
• ground coriander — 10 g
• turmeric — 5 g
• ground black pepper — 3 g
• tomatoes — 250 g
• tamarind paste — 30 g
• green chilies — 200 g
• salt — 7 g
• lime — 30 g
• coriander — 100 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 31 min (1 hr active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 136.5 kcal, 10.1 g protein, 9.3 g fat, 5.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Rub the chicken pieces with the turmeric, half the garlic, half the ginger and 1 teaspoon of the salt, and leave them to marinate at least 30 minutes at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan over medium heat and cook the sliced onions 12 minutes, stirring, until they are soft and going gold at the edges.
3. Add the remaining garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute, then stir in the cumin, coriander and black pepper and let them fry 45 seconds until fragrant.
4. Raise the heat to medium-high and brown the marinated chicken in the spiced onions, about 6 minutes a side, until the skin has taken colour.
5. Add the grated tomatoes and cook 6 minutes, until the mixture thickens and the oil separates at the edge of the pan.
6. Stir in the coconut milk, tamarind paste, slit chillies and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a bare simmer - coconut milk splits if you boil it hard - and cook uncovered 30 minutes, turning the chicken once, until the sauce coats a spoon and the chicken is falling from the bone.
7. Finish with the lime juice off the heat and scatter over the chopped coriander. Serve with wali wa nazi.
8. Substitutions: vegetable oil can stand in for the coconut oil.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Beef Malabar — Indian
• Pork Green Chile Stew — Tex-Mex · Southwestern
• Beef and Bean Chili Verde — Tex-Mex
• Coconut Lentil Dal with Rice — Indian
• Ayam Rica-Rica (Manado Chilli Chicken) — Indonesian

Keep reading: what umami, richness, sourness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.