← Nouns Cooking · Malaysian & Singaporean

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg chicken pieces on the bone (thighs and drumsticks)
• 10 Dried chillies, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, drained
• 3 Red chilli, roughly chopped
• 10 Shallot, peeled
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 3 Lemongrass, white parts only, sliced
• 3 cm piece Galangal, sliced
• 2 cm piece fresh turmeric (or 1 tsp ground), peeled
• 4 candlenuts (or macadamias)
• 1 tsp belacan (shrimp paste), toasted
• 5 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 6 Makrut (kaffir) lime leaves, very finely shredded
• 400 ml Coconut milk
• 150 ml Water
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 Lime, juiced

Method

1. Blend all the spice paste ingredients with a splash of water into a smooth paste.
2. Heat the oil in a wide pot over medium-low heat. Fry the paste for 12–15 min, stirring often, until it darkens, smells sweet and the oil separates from it.
3. Add the chicken and turn it in the paste over medium heat for 3–4 min until coated and the skin firms up.
4. Pour in the water and half the coconut milk, then add the tamarind, sugar, salt and most of the lime leaves. Bring to a gentle boil, cover and simmer for 20 min, stirring now and then.
5. Uncover, add the rest of the coconut milk and simmer for 8–10 min until the sauce is thick and the chicken reaches 75°C (165°F) at the bone.
6. Stir in the lime juice, taste for salt and sugar, and scatter over the remaining lime leaves. Serve with rice or roti jala.

Tips

• The slow fry of the rempah is the whole dish: if the paste catches, lower the heat and add a spoon of water rather than rushing it.
• Contains shrimp paste; candlenuts are tree nuts.

Sources

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

Taste Asian Food Marion's Kitchen Lin's Food