← Nouns Cooking · Indonesian & Filipino

Ingredients

• 4 chicken leg quarters (about 1.2 kg)
• 5 Shallot, peeled
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 3 cm piece Galangal
• 2 cm piece Ginger
• 3 Candlenuts (buah keras)
• 1 tsp Ground turmeric
• 1 tbsp Ground coriander
• 1 Lemongrass, bruised
• 2 daun salam (Indonesian bay leaves) or bay leaves
• 1½ tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 750 ml Water
• 1 l oil, for deep-frying
• 6 Red chilli
• 8 Bird's eye chilli
• 3 Shallot, peeled
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 Tomato, quartered
• 1 tsp terasi (shrimp paste), toasted
• 1 tsp Sugar
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 200 g firm tofu, sliced thickly
• 200 g Tempeh, sliced
• 1 Cucumber, sliced
• 4 cabbage leaves, torn

Method

1. Blend the spice paste ingredients with a splash of water until smooth.
2. Put the chicken, paste, lemongrass, bay leaves, salt, sugar and water in a wide pot. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 20 min. Uncover, turn the pieces and keep simmering for 10–15 min until the liquid has almost gone and the chicken reaches 75°C (165°F). Simmer the tofu and tempeh in the last of the spiced liquid for a few minutes too, then let everything cool and dry on a rack.
3. For the sambal, fry the chillies, shallots, garlic and tomato in 2 tbsp oil over medium heat for 4–5 min until soft and blistered. Pound in a mortar (or pulse) with the terasi, sugar and salt to a coarse paste, then stir in the lime juice.
4. Heat the frying oil in a wok to 180°C (350°F). Fry the chicken in batches for 4–5 min until deep golden and crisp, then fry the tofu and tempeh for 3–4 min until golden. Drain.
5. Smash it: lay a piece of chicken on a board or in the mortar on a spoonful of sambal and press firmly with a pestle so the meat flattens and the skin cracks. Spoon more sambal over the top.
6. Serve each piece with rice, the fried tofu and tempeh, cucumber and cabbage, and extra sambal for the brave.

Tips

• Poaching first (ungkep) seasons the chicken right through and means the frying is only for crunch, so it stays juicy.
• Terasi is fermented shrimp; leave it out of the sambal for shellfish allergies.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

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