Burmese Chicken Curry (Gaeng Gai Bama)

The flavors were right but instructions poor. This dish was extremely watery. Instructions didn’t say much in terms of getting this curry to thicken up. I had to simmer it for 30 minutes and use corn starch so it didn’t look like orange water. I won’t be making this again and instead will be cooking Chef John’s Chicken Tikka Masala curry.

I’ve made this twice before rating because I thought I might have misunderstood an instruction. The first time I made it, I covered the pieces of chicken with water as instructed.. the end result was a very watery sauce; my chicken pieces were 1/4 of a chicken breast half, so I did not think it was the sizing that was the issue, it says large pieces. The second time, I poured water 2/3 up and did not cover it. Instead I lowered to a simmer, turned the chicken twice during cooking, and before it was done I added the tomato sauce and fish sauce (using 3 tb as someone suggested)-. Personally, I had not liked the tomato slices the first time so the second time around I steamed some broccoli florets on the side. Served the rice with broccoli on one side, chicken on the other, sauce over everything. The sauce makes this dish. It is wonderful, with the extra fish sauce. But because it was too watery the first time around, it does not get 5 stars. For those wondering about the spiciness level.. it’s an American 2 pepper spicy as you would order at an Asian restaurant. Nowhere near Asian spicy 🙂

Delicious! I didn’t find it too spicy at all; I used Thai Kitchen-brand curry paste, which has been in the fridge for… a while and could possibly have lost its kick. I also shouldn’t have used so much water (I cut the chicken in small pieces like a previous reviewer) but it’s still fantastic. I can see this working very well with shrimp, too.

Oh boy, way too much fish sauce. 2 tsp would have tasted good. However with 2 Tbls the dish had a distinct aftertaste of something awry.

One tip: once you’re done frying the shallots/onions, you’ll need to transfer it to a bowl – might as well save some time and fry them while the curry is simmering. This way you’ll still have the same amount of dishes afterwards. The only things I did differently was to substitute coconut milk for the water (about half a can for simmering the chicken and half for afterwards) and used carmelized onions instead of shallots. The curry that you use will make a huge difference in the taste – I used Thai red curry paste and Indian mild curry powder.

As the description states this isn’t REAL AUTHENTIC Burmese chicken curry. The real one which uses no curry paste or coconut milk, just lots of tomatoes, onions and fermented fish paste “Ngapi” and fish sauce plus other various spices to make the curry sauce. However, this recipe is not too bad. It was a little bland for my mother (who typically cooks THE BEST Burmese food!), but I thought it was pretty good. *NOTE* If you do not have fish sauce DO NOT USE SOYSAUCE! I cannot even imagine using soysauce in a Burmese dish… Use salt! It won’t be as flavorful as fish sauce but salt will do!

This was FANTASTIC! I couldn’t find red curry paste at my local store, so I had to substitute green curry paste, and I skipped the shallots to save on time but it still came out really delicious. I think red curry paste would’ve been a little bit better since there wasn’t much spice when I made it, but even with green curry paste it had a ton of flavor. I also substituted brown sugar for the palm sugar, since that was what I had. So it’s probably not quite “right” but it still came out as one of the best things I’ve made from this site. A total keeper!

I used canned tomatoes and omitted the coconut milk because I didn’t think the milk I had was good still. Turned out well anyway!

Insanely delicious. We served over steamed brown jasmine rice for a hearty meal. Don’t skip the cilantro, it really brightens the dish.

Doubled the recipe for 2lbs of pork. Used one can of diced tomatoes and a whole can of coconut milk.

This dish was delish! I had a mild red curry paste, and I would have loved more of a kick- I will definitely amp it up next time! I substituted thinly sliced onions sauteed in chili oil, and they were superb on top of the dish! I experienced how easy it can be to overcook the chicken- rookie error. When the dish settles, the flavors pop even more. I will definitely make this again!!

Yum! My mom is from Burma and while this was really good, it’s not Burmese, as Michelle says. I added too much water as I was afraid that it would be too hot– big mistake. Barely cover the chicken with water. Also, my red curry paste wasn’t very hot at all, so I added almost twice the amount. I used soy instead of fish sauce (I know it’s not really an acceptable substitute, but I didn’t have any!) and skipped the cilantro because the boyfriend doesn’t care for it. Served this over coconut rice.. delicious! A note about the shallot garnish: I use a regular yellow onion and just slice it really thin. My mother uses much more oil so that she can store the fried onions on the countertop (in oil) and use it as garnish whenever she pleases. Although, I changed quite a bit, I have no doubt the recipe would be good as written.

I don’t know Bermese cuisine from Thai from Indian, but I know that this recipe was simple and delicious!!!

My picky 8-year-old took seconds saying “I love this chicken.” My husband who rarely comments on my cooking said, “This one is a keeper.” My teenager wasn’t quite as enthusiastic but said it was “good.” He has a cold, though, so that may have affected his experience. I could not get the sauce to become “creamy” as described, but it still tasted good. I accidentally used chili powder instead of curry powder. I noticed it right after I covered the chicken with water, so I dumped the chicken into a colander, rinsed it, and started over. Not sure if the brief soaking in chili powder affected the taste or not.

Excellent dish and easy to prepare! I made some substitutions (used onions, brown sugar, salt and only one tomato) and may have added a bit too much water, but it turned out really great!

I don’t like to review a recipe when I have changed it, but this one had great “bones” and we enjoyed it very much. Did not use the shallots, fresh tomatoes, or cilantro, but DID use the curry paste, curry powder, and coconut milk as directed; I also used a small can of diced tomatoes instead. Thickened it up with a little flour in the cocount milk and stirred it in. Served it with sticky rice, and cole slaw. Will make again! Dee-lish.

Awesome!

The fresh tomatoes and cilanto made this dish. I served over rice with fresh cucumber on the side. THe cumumber was a great way to cool down after all the heat. Yum!

LOVE this recipe!! Doubling recipe may be OK but didn’t taste the same when I did x4….

Enjoyed this very much, used combo of chicken and shrimp. Tossed some extra veggies in as well (mushrooms and spinach). I was quite thin, so I did add cornstarch. The flavor is right here though, tastes like something you get at a thai restaurant. Just the right amount of heat, but we like spice!

Quite good and easy to put together.