Malaysian Style Chicken Rendang
Ingredients
- 2 medium-large chickens (about 3kg), not cut too small or chicken will break apart
- OR 1 to 1.5 kg beef, cut into small pieces suitable for ketupat
- 12 to 15 stalks lemongrass (reduce if large and thick)
- 1 bulb garlic
- 20 shallots
- 3 inches ginger
- 2 inches galangal
- 4 tablespoons chili paste
- 800 to 1000 ml coconut milk, divided into two parts or equivalent from 3 coconuts (half thick, half thin)
- 4 tablespoons kerisik (toasted grated coconut)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon MSG (Ajinomoto)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin powder (jintan manis)
- 1/2 tablespoon white cumin powder (jintan putih)
- 1/2 tablespoon white pepper powder
- Rempah 4 sekawan: ground fine mixture of cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, and cloves
- 6 to 8 turmeric leaves, sliced finely
Preparation
Place a large pot on the stove and turn on the heat.
Add the chicken.
Add the blended ingredients including lemongrass, garlic, shallots, ginger, and galangal.
Add turmeric powder, cumin powder, white cumin powder, white pepper powder, coriander powder, chili paste, salt, sugar, and the four spices mixture.
Stir and mix everything well, then continuously stir until the chicken releases its juices.
After 10 minutes, add half of the coconut milk (about 250ml if using packaged), sugar, salt, and chicken seasoning cube or powder, then stir to prevent sticking to the bottom.
After about 15 minutes of stirring, add the remaining coconut milk (about 250ml). At this point, taste and adjust seasonings as desired, then continue stirring for another 20 minutes.
Stir continuously until the sauce thickens, then add the kerisik and stir for another 10 minutes.
When the sauce starts to thicken, remove the chicken pieces to prevent them from breaking apart.
Tips
This rendang is very delicious and has received over 587,000 shares.
It is best served with rice, ketupat, or lemang to enhance the flavor.
In this recipe, 'sudu' means a large spoon; use a small spoon only if specified as 'sudu kecil'.
Add turmeric leaves during cooking to increase aroma and taste, typically with the blended ingredients or early on.
