Ayam Percik

Name: Ayam Percik
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Malaysian
Ingredients: 1 tsp Salt, fine; 1/2 tsp Ground Turmeric; 975g Whole Chicken, cut into 8 pieces; 8 Shallots; 4 cloves of Garlic; 3 Gingers, sliced; 3 centimeters of Galangal, sliced; 2 stalks of Lemongrass, white part only, sliced; 10 Dried Red Chilies, soaked and deseeded; 4 Fresh Red Chilies; 1 tsp Belacan, toasted; 1 tsp Ground Turmeric; 500ml Thick Coconut Milk; 2 tbsp Tamarind Paste (Asam Jawa); 100ml Water; 2 tbsp Palm Sugar (Gula Melaka), grated; 1 tsp Salt; 2 tbsp Neutral Cooking Oil

Ayam Percik is a fragrant Malaysian roasted chicken slathered in a rich, slightly sweet and tangy coconut glaze. Aromatic spices and chilies are blended into a paste, pan-fried until fragrant, then simmered with thick coconut milk, tamarind and palm sugar to create a glossy basting sauce that caramelizes beautifully over the grill or in the oven. The result is tender, smoky chicken with a luxuriously sticky, savory-sweet coating.

Ayam Percik is a fragrant Malaysian roasted chicken slathered in a rich, slightly sweet and tangy coconut glaze. Aromatic spices a... Show more

Traditional Malaysian Recipe

Health Grade

C+ · Balanced

Rating

4.1

Time

55 min

Price

4,17 €

Calories

1063 kcal

gluten free

high protein

comfort food

potluck

Method

Season the chicken

Pat the Whole Chicken (cut into 8 pieces) dry, then rub it all over with the Salt (fine) and Ground Turmeric. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes while you get the sauce ingredients ready; that short rest helps the seasoning sink in and gives you a head start on the rest of the recipe.

Prep the aromatics

Soak the Dried Red Chilies in the Water for 10 minutes until softened; keep the soaking liquid. Drain the chilies, split them open, and shake out the seeds. Peel the Shallots and Garlic, then slice the Ginger, Galangal, and the white part of the Lemongrass thinly. Roughly chop the Fresh Red Chilies, and toast the Belacan in a dry pan for 1 minute per side until it smells smoky and rich; let it cool before you blend.

Blend the paste

Scrape the drained chilies, shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, lemongrass, fresh chilies, cooled belacan, and the ground turmeric into a blender. Add 2 tbsp of the soaking liquid and blend into a smooth paste, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides if the mixture catches.

Cook the sauce

Warm the Neutral Cooking Oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the paste and cook, stirring often, for 6 minutes until it smells deeply fragrant and starts to separate from the oil. Stir in the Thick Coconut Milk, Tamarind Paste (Asam Jawa), the remaining water, Palm Sugar (Gula Melaka) (grated), and Salt, then simmer gently for 10 minutes more, stirring now and then, until the sauce is glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon.

Grill the chicken

Set aside about half of the sauce in a clean bowl for serving. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high, then grill the chicken for 7 minutes on the first side without moving it. Turn the pieces, brush them with some of the sauce, and grill for another 7 minutes, basting once or twice more near the end, until the chicken is deeply browned in spots and cooked through.