← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg chicken legs or halved thighs on the bone
• 1 tsp Ground turmeric
• 1 tsp Salt
• 8 Shallot, peeled
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 3 cm piece Ginger
• 2 cm piece Galangal
• 3 Lemongrass, white parts sliced
• 8 Dried chillies, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, drained
• 1 tsp Ground coriander
• ½ tsp Cumin
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 400 ml Coconut milk
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp gula melaka or brown sugar
• 1 tsp Salt

Method

1. Rub the chicken with the turmeric and salt, slash the thick parts and leave for 1 hour in the fridge.
2. Blend the shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, lemongrass and chillies into a smooth paste with the coriander and cumin.
3. Fry the paste in the oil in a pan over medium heat for 5 min until fragrant. Add the coconut milk, tamarind, sugar and salt and simmer, stirring often, for 15–20 min until it reduces to a thick, spoonable gravy.
4. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) or light a grill. Brush the chicken generously with gravy and roast on a rack for 20 min.
5. Turn the pieces, brush again and cook for another 15–20 min, basting every 5 min, until charred at the edges and the chicken reaches 75°C (165°F) at the bone.
6. Serve with rice, the leftover gravy warmed for dipping and sliced cucumber.

Tips

• Keep back a bowl of gravy that never touches the raw chicken to serve at the table.
• Over charcoal it gets the true smoky bazaar flavour; keep the chicken away from the hottest part so the sugary gravy does not burn.

Sources

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

Nomadette Taste Asian Food