Kuku Paka

I’ve been on a quest to capture and write down all of my mom’s awesome recipes. The first one I shared was her Akni dish. The next was this delicious Biryani recipe. And now it’s Kuku Paka.

If you’ve never heard of it, Kuku Paka is an East African chicken in coconut curry recipe.  It’s always been one of my favorite dishes so I thought it was about time that I learned how to make it. Kuku Paka is so delicious and it is pretty simple to make once you have all the ingredients.

Kuku Paka - East African Chicken in Coconut Curry recipe

Kuku Paka Recipe

Ingredients for Kuku Paka

– 2 cans of coconut milk
– 4 chicken breasts cut into 4 pieces each
– 2 large potatoes cut into big chunks
– 2 boiled eggs (optional)
– 1 medium onion, chopped
– fist full of chopped cilantro
– 3/4 tsp minced garlic
– 1/4 tsp minced ginger x 2
– 1and 1/4 tsp salt
– 1 tbsp lemon juice
– 1/8 tsp of tumeric
– 1/4 tsp green chilies

Instructions for Kuku Paka

1. Put 4-5 tbsp of the coconut milk in a bowl. Mix in the 1/4 tsp salt, ginger, 1/4 tsp garlic, 1 tbsp of the cilantro. Dip each piece of chicken in the bowl. Once it’s saturated, place on a tray and cook it in the oven for about 10-15 mins at 350 degrees. (This is an additional step that you don’t actually have to do. If you’re short on time, just throw the chicken into the pot with everything else.)

2. You can put your potatoes in the oven at the same time and let them cook as well. (Or you can cook them quickly in the microwave.)

2. In a large pot, add the rest of the coconut milk. Put in the onions, 1 tsp salt,  1/2 tsp garlic, ginger, turmeric, the rest of the cilantro and green chillies. Fill one empty coconut milk tin with water. Pour it into the pot as well.

3. Heat it on med/hi. Keep stirring with a wooden spatula until it comes to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium/low. Add in the cooked potatoes, chicken and boiled eggs. (If your chicken is raw, you can add it in step two with the onions and a tsp of oil. Stir for a couple minutes to saute and then add the rest of the ingredients as mentioned in step 2.)

4. Let it cook for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat but leave it on the element. Add in the lemon juice and stir. Then it’s ready

Kuku-Paka-East-African-Chicken-Coconut-Curry-close-up

I like to serve it with french bread or rice. You can use both. Sprinkle a little cilantro over it to look pretty and enjoy.

14 thoughts on “Kuku Paka

  1. Great recipe! One thing I find with Kuku Paka is that the type of Coconut Milk varies and certain types work better than others. For me, personally, I find the full fat ones work well and adding some coconut milk powder or creamed coconut gives the curry a velvety richness and creaminess. Just a little tip ?

    Also, if the kids are sensitive to green chillies then it may be substituted with the same amount of green bell peppers – no heat but good flavour.

  2. I started the blog as to keep a track of my mom’s recipes but then got sidetracked with all the stuff on pinterest. I keep trying to share her recipes on and off, and there is nothing better that I would like to pass on to my kids. Never heard of this dish but anything with coconut milk I am sold. Thanks for sharing!

  3. Thank you for this recipe… tried it for the first time and it turned out great! I think it was a little light on the flavour, so might add a little more of all the spices next time. But definitely a hit for me and my 3 year old 🙂

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