AYAM MASAK MERAH

Recipe Notes:

• You could substitute larger dried chilies with a smaller size dried chili if you prefer a spicier taste. The smaller the dried chili is the more heat it contains.

• You could use 1 whole chicken if you prefer. I use chicken Maryland for this recipe.

• I add additional 1 whole sliced tomato to the recipe for an extra texture to the sauce. This is OPTIONAL.

INGREDIENTS FOR AYAM MASAK MERAH

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(Serves 5-6 peoples)

✅️ 1 kg Chicken

✅️ 1 tbsp Corn Starch

✅️ 1 tsp Turmeric Powder

✅️ 1 Tbsp Light Soya Sauce

✅️ 15 whole Dried Chilies

✅️ 7 whole (±900 g) Tomatoes plus 1 extra (OPTIONAL)

✅️ 1 whole (±250 g) Red Onion

✅️ 6 pips Garlic

✅️ 25 g Galangal

✅️ 1 stick Cinnamon Quill

✅️ 3 pcs Star Anise

✅️ 3 pcs Lemongrass (white part only, 10cm from bottom)

✅️ 50 g Dark Palm Sugar

✅️ 1 whole Brown Onion

✅️ 1 tsp Salt (add more or lesser salt to taste)

✅️ 2 cups (500 ml) Cooking Oil (for frying)

METHOD OF PREPARATION:

1. Prepare the chicken in large chunky pieces in a bowl. Add corn starch, turmeric powder and light soya sauce into the bowl. Coat the chicken pieces with the mixture thoroughly. Leave the chicken aside to marinade, about 30 mins.

2. Cut the red chilies to empty and discard their seeds. Leave the dried chilies aside to soak in warm water until they are softened.

3. Blend the tomatoes until they are fully crushed and set them aside.

4. Blend the softened dried chili, red onion, garlic and galangal in a food processor. Add ½ cup of water to facilitate blending and continue to blend the mixture until it reaches a relatively smooth paste. Set them aside for now.

5. Heat up the cooking oil in a pan over HIGH heat until VERY HOT. Pan fry the marinated chicken prepared earlier until they are golden brown on both sides. Remove the fried chicken pieces from the pan once they are golden brown on both sides. Reduce heat to MEDIUM and remove most of the cooking oil leaving about ½ cup in the pan.

6. Add the blended chili paste mixture, which was prepared earlier, into the same pan. Stir the mixture while scraping up the caramelized bits from frying the chicken earlier. Pour about ½ cup of water into the pan and stir the mixture constantly until the oil separates and most of the liquid has evaporated. Then, add the cinnamon quill, star anise, and the halved lemongrass (white part only, 10 cm from it’s bottom) into the pan, and stir the mixture together for about 5 minutes. Next, add the crushed tomatoes, which were also prepared earlier, into the pan, and stir the mixture until they are well combined. Let the mixture simmer over MEDIUM to LOW heat until you see the oil separating from the mixture and it slightly thickens. Stir the mixture constantly to prevent it from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan.

7. Add the prepared dark palm sugar and salt into the pan. Adjust the salt to your liking and stir the mixture well until all the palm sugar is fully dissolved. Next, add the fried chicken pieces, which were prepared earlier, into the pan, followed by the sliced brown onion and additional sliced tomato. Stir the mixture briskly to prevent the chicken from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan. Flip the chicken pieces to coat on the other side. Simmer the chicken in the pan over MEDIUM to LOW heat for about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring briskly to prevent the chicken from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan. The dish is ready when the gravy reaches a thick but still runny consistency. Enjoy the Ayam Masak Merah over a warm bed of rice or noodles in the comfort of your home.

RECIPE PHOTO GALLERY