Ayam Panggang / Indonesian Roast Chicken Category: Main dish Serve: 4
This recipe for this dish was contributed by Mrs. Tuti Soenardi from Surabaya, East Java. She is a nutritionist, cookbook author, host of television cooking shows and director of the Culinary and Nutrition Foundation in Jakarta, Java.
2-3 pound chicken, cut in half lengthwise 2 cups thick coconut milk * 10 shallots 5 cloves garlic 6 red chili peppers 10 candlenuts 1 teaspoon shrimp paste (terasi) ** 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons palm sugar or brown sugar 2 thin slices fresh galangal (Laos) 2 stalks lemon grass, bruised 1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate ***
Grill the chicken gently, skin side up, over or under low heat until almost golden. Mix together shallots, garlic, chili peppers, candlenuts, shrimp paste, salt and palm sugar in a food processor and grind to a paste. Add paste, galangal and lemon grass to coconut milk and bring to a boil. Simmer until mixture is almost dry, about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove and discard galangal and lemon grass.
Rub the spice mixture on the chicken halves. Grill the chicken again, basting with remaining spice mixture. When meat is done, serve hot or cold with steamed rice.
- Bottled or canned coconut milk can be substituted.
- Available at markets carrying Asian food products
- To make, simmer 1/4 pound tamarind pulp in about 1 1/4 cups water
- Available at markets carrying Asian food products
until half the liquid has evaporated. Remove seeds and pieces of pods, if any, by sieving. The unused portion can be frozen or stored in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks or frozen.