← Nouns Cooking · Indonesian & Filipino

Ingredients

• 1 kg chicken drumsticks or thighs on the bone
• 6 Shallot, peeled
• 5 cloves Garlic
• 2 cm piece Ginger, peeled
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 500 g Potato, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 800 ml Water
• 6 tbsp Kecap manis (sweet soy)
• 1 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp Ground coriander
• ¼ tsp White pepper
• 3 Indonesian bay leaves (daun salam) or bay leaves
• 1 Lemongrass, bruised and knotted
• Salt
• 3 tbsp Crispy fried shallots

Method

1. Pound or blend the shallots, garlic and ginger into a coarse paste.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat and fry the paste for 3–4 min until soft and fragrant.
3. Add the chicken and cook for 5 min, turning, until lightly coloured all over.
4. Pour in the water with the kecap manis, soy sauce, sugar, nutmeg, coriander, white pepper, bay leaves and lemongrass. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 min.
5. Add the potatoes and simmer uncovered for 20–25 min, stirring now and then, until they are tender, the sauce has reduced to a dark glossy gravy and the chicken reaches 75°C (165°F). Season with salt.
6. Scatter with fried shallots and serve with plenty of rice.

Tips

• The name comes from the Dutch "smoor" (braise). Beef shin, eggs or tofu all work the same way; beef needs about 1½ hours before the potatoes go in.
• Kecap manis, soy sauce and most fried shallots contain wheat.

Sources

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

Daily Cooking Quest What To Cook Today