← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 800 g boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
• ½ tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp White pepper
• 3 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 4 slices Ginger
• 3 large red onions, thinly sliced
• 3 Red chilli, sliced
• 3 tbsp Dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 100 ml Water
• 3 tbsp calamansi or lime juice

Method

1. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat and brown the chicken for 5–6 min until lightly golden. Push it aside.
3. Add the garlic, ginger and half the onions and fry for 3 min until the onions soften.
4. Stir in both soy sauces, the sugar and water, cover and simmer for 10 min until the chicken is cooked through (75°C/165°F).
5. Add the rest of the onions and the chilli and cook uncovered for 2–3 min until the sauce is glossy and the new onions are just tender. Off the heat, stir in the lime juice and taste for a sweet-sour-salty balance.

Tips

• Adding the lime only at the end keeps it bright; the Nyonya name tempra is said to come from the Portuguese tempero (seasoning).
• Contains soy and wheat. Fried eggs (telur tempra) or fish are cooked in the very same sauce.

Sources

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

What To Cook Today Singaporean Malaysian Recipes