← Nouns Cooking · Indonesian & Filipino

Ingredients

• 1 kg bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 1 Lime, juiced
• 1 tsp Salt
• 10 Red chilli, roughly chopped
• 6 bird's eye chillies (fewer for less heat)
• 100 g Shallot, peeled
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 4 cm piece Ginger, peeled and sliced
• 3 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 2 Lemongrass, bruised and cut into 8 cm lengths
• 6 Makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, half torn, half very finely shredded
• 2 pandan leaves, knotted (optional)
• 2 Tomato, diced
• 125 ml Water
• ½ tsp Sugar
• 1 handful lemon basil (kemangi) or Thai basil leaves (optional)

Method

1. Rub the chicken with the lime juice and salt and leave for 15 min while you make the paste.
2. Blend the chillies, shallots, garlic and ginger into a coarse paste; a little texture is good here.
3. Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat and fry the paste for 5 min, stirring, until it darkens slightly and smells fragrant. Add the lemongrass, torn lime leaves and pandan (if using) and stir for 1 minute.
4. Add the chicken and turn it in the paste for 3 min. Stir in the tomatoes, water and sugar, cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 25 min, turning the pieces halfway.
5. Uncover and cook for 5–8 min more until the sauce is thick and clings to the chicken, and the thickest piece reaches 75°C (165°F). Taste for salt.
6. Turn off the heat and stir through the shredded lime leaves and basil (if using). Serve with plenty of rice.

Tips

• Rica means chilli in Manado, and the dish is meant to be hot; seed the large chillies and skip the bird's eyes for a gentler version.
• For a smokier take, deep-fry or grill the marinated chicken first, then toss it in the reduced sauce.

Sources

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

Daily Cooking Quest What To Cook Today