Indonesian Woku Chicken with Herbs
Ingredients
- 1/2 chicken, cut as desired
- 2 bunches basil, leaves picked
- 5 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
- 2 stalks green onion, roughly chopped
- 1 pandan leaf, roughly chopped
- 1 turmeric leaf, finely sliced
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
- 1 tomato, roughly chopped
- 1 lime, juice only
- Salt to taste
- Sugar to taste
- Cooking oil as needed
Ground spices
- 7 shallots
- 4 cloves garlic
- 8 curly red chilies, adjustable to taste
- 2 candlenuts, roasted
- 10 bird's eye chilies, red and green, adjustable to taste
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
- 1 cm turmeric
Preparation
Wash the chicken thoroughly, rub with lime juice, let it sit for 10 minutes, then wash again until clean and set aside.
Sauté the coarsely ground spices until fragrant. Add tomato, kaffir lime leaves, turmeric leaf, lemongrass, and pandan leaf, stir well. Add the chicken, season with salt and sugar, stir until the color changes. Pour in about 1-2 glasses of water, cover, and stir occasionally to allow the spices to absorb.
When the chicken is almost cooked, add green onion and basil leaves, stir quickly. Taste and adjust seasoning, then turn off the heat and serve.
Notes
This dish is similar to ayam rica and is enhanced by using a generous amount of basil for better flavor.
