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The video of the dish — posted on Instagram recently with the caption “What we’re making for Lunar New Year” — shows Taipei-based journalist Clarissa Wei preparing the curry according to a recipe by a Singaporean contributor.
The recipe is apparently highly rated with four out of five stars on the NYT Cooking website, according to NextShark.
Unfortunately, the outcome of the recipe in the video failed to match the vibrant colours and thick, creamy texture of Singaporean Chicken Curry or even curries in general. It did not even look like the bright orange-red dish depicted in the recipe photo printed by The New York Times:
She then fries onions, garlic, and ginger before adding spices and pandan leaves – an ingredient not normally associated with curry.
The chicken thighs were then thrown into the saut? mix along with chicken broth, which was brought to a boil before coconut milk was drizzled on top.
Singaporeans were especially confused and offended, with one saying, “This in no way resembles anything close to the chicken curry we eat in Singapore”.
“This feels like an act of war,” wrote one person.
Some questioned why the video was still up.
Other netizens commented, “That’s not curry. That’s drain water”, “This looks like toilet water”, “This is an insult to curry”, and “That’s just spice water”.
Commentators also threatened to inform Uncle Roger, a character played by Malaysian comedian Nigel Ng, who is famous for mocking Asian recipes gone wrong.
Das — a second-generation Singaporean of Indian and Vietnamese descent — even shared a picture with Coconuts of the chicken curry she made for Chinese New Year recently, using the same ingredients and method in the recipe.
The difference is quite drastic to that of Wei’s, to say the least.
SAYS has reached out to NYT Cooking for comment but has not received a reply.