Ayam Panggang Sulawesi - Sulawesi Style Roast/Grilled Chicken and Basil

The food from the northern parts of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi (formerly Celebes) is the result of a very interesting mixture of cultures.  Local flavors mixed heavily with those brought by colonizing forces from Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands.  In this unusual region, the majority of the population is Christian rather than Muslim.  This delicious, mouthwatering roasted chicken dish is a beautiful example of food from Manado, the capital of the Northern Sulawesi province.  Originating with the Minahasan people who live in the area, this dish has a unique flavor that will have you gasping for more!

Ayam panggang Sulawesi recipe (serves 1-2)

for the rempah (paste-to be blended in a food processor)

• 6 shallots
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 inch piece of turmeric root, peeled
• 1 inch ginger, peeled
• 1 inch galangal, peeled
• 4 candlenuts
• 4 birdseye chillis

other ingredients

• 1/2 chicken or equivalent amount of other pieces.  I like to use 3 thighs and 3 drumsticks
• 1 bunch of lemon basil (it's ok to substitute with a different kind if you can't find lemon basil)
• 2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, bashed
• 6 kaffir lime leaves
• 200 ml coconut milk
• salt to taste

Let's go!  First, blend all the spices together under the list titled "rempah."  Then heat some oil in a wok.  Add in the paste and fry until fragrant and the oil separates.

Next add in the coconut milk along with all other inredients except the chicken pieces. 

Heat till coconut milk is simmering, then add chicken.  Let simmer in the sauce for 30-40 minutes, stirring to keep from burning occasionally.  Now preheat the grill or preheat oven to 200˚c.

 

 When done, take the chicken pieces out of the sauce and place in the oven or on the grill.  On the grill, cook for about 5 minutes on both sides or until you get some nice dark grill lines.  Leave in the oven for 10-15 minutes on each side.  While the chicken cooks, allow the remaining sauce to reduce.  Now, remove the lime leaves and lemongrass grom your reserved sauce.  Plate the chicken pieces and pour the sauce overtop.  Serve with lots of plain rice.  Enjoy!!

Pad Thai ผัดไทย

Pad Thai is probably the most widely known Thai dish.  Pad Thai (ผัดไทย) means "Thai style stir fry" in the Thai language.  Having become very popular after a nationalist campaign in the 1930s, pad Thai is today well known all over the world.  A lovely and hearty mixure of noodles with protein and fish sauce, tamarind, and palm sugar, this is a great dish for any time.  I like to have it for lunch as it is really quick and easy to make.

Due to its wide popularity, there are now many different versions of pad Thai, but the one I share is closer to the roots of the dish.  Today it's common to see pad Thai with lots of protein, but originally this was very expenive in Thailand-not many people could afford to make food with prawns, chicken, etc. so dried prawn was really the extent.  Protein was from tofu and egg.  Again, even in Thailand everybody makes this differently, so this is just my version.  Many non-Thai people also use a pre-made pad Thai sauce, but this is really bad as the sauce is very easy to make, and when you make your own you can adjust the taste based on your own palette, adding more or less fish sauce for salt, tamarind for sourness, or palm sugar for sweetness.


Pad Thai recipe (serves 1-2)

for the pad Thai sauce

• 1/4 cup tamarind concentrate
• 17g palm sugar
• 1.5 tbsp white sugar
• 2 tbsp fish sauce 

other ingredients

• 150g rice noodles
• A few pieces of preserved
• 1 chicken breasts or protein of your choice, sliced into bite size pieces 
• 1 handful deep fried tofu
• 1 handful bean sprouts
• 2 garlic cloves, minced finely
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp chopped preserved turnip
• 1 bunch garlic chives or spring onions, sliced into manageable pieces
• 2 tsp. roasted chili flakes or 3 thai chilis, minced
• 2 tbsp dried prawns, soak in a little water until soft
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, crushed

First, add the sugar, palm sugar, and tamarind concentrate to a small saucepan.  Heat until the sugars dissolve, then remove rom heat, add in the fish sauce, and mix well (you can add all three at once if you like, but I add fish sauce later so as to avoid stinking up the kitchen).  While you do this, boil some water in the kettle and pour over the rice noodles.  Let sit briefly (1-2 minutes) then drain.  Noodles should not get too soggy.

 

 Now heat some oil in a large frying pan or wok.  Crack two eggs into the pan and shove to one side.  On the other side, add in the dried prawns, chili, and garlic.  Keep the garlic moving so as to avoid burning.  When the eggs are cooked, add in the rice noodles.  At this time you can add also the chicken or whichever protein you choose (I did not add any meat this time around).

Stir the noodles in with the garlic, prawn, and egg.  Now add 1/2 of the already prepared sauce.  Throw in the chopped spring onion/garlic chives, tofu, turnip preserves, and bean sprouts at this point.  Add in the rest of the sauce and stir in.  Wait until the garlic chives/spring onion is wilted and the noodles are coated with sauce.  The misture should not be too watery, but not too dry.  Cook until you have a nice middle ground.

Serve immediately with a lime wedge and crushed roasted peanut.  Aroy mak mak!

Soto Ayam

SS

Soto ayam is a delicious Indonesian chicken soup.  Flavored with lots of strong spices and colored yellow with turmeric, this hearty soup is my favorite to serve on cold days when you are feeling a little sick!  In Indonesia this is always thought of as a family dish where people gather with those they love to share a large bowl of soto broth.

Soto ayam recipe

for the spice paste, ground in mortar/pestle or a food processor

• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 inch ginger
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp white peppercorn powder

For the broth

• 3 liters stock
• 1 large onion, minced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 star anise
• 1 daun salam or bay leaf
• 6 cloves

The rest

• 1.5 kilos chicken (I use thighs)
•  oil for frying
• Rice vermicelli, cooked for a few minutes in boiling water and strained

Let's go!  First, sautee the ingrediants for the broth (sans stock of course) until the onions are rosy.

Next, add in the chicken pieces and the spice paste and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.  Then pour in the stock.

Now, let simmer for about 30 minutes.  Remove the chicken and shred. 

Place the noodles in a bowl, cover with the chicken, then pour the broth overtop.  Serve with chopped spring onion, coriander, lime wedge, and hardboiled egg.  Enjoy!

Semur Ayam

Semur is a very popular type of stew originating in Java.  It is a wonderful and hearty example of Javanese cuisine.  It uses the famous Indonesian sweet soy sauce, "kecap manis," as the main flavoring.  It's traditionally made with beef or buffalo meat, but as I don't like beef I will be sharing what's called semur ayam (chicken semur).  This is a lovely dish to serve for lunch and can stand easily on its own.  It is a very nice example of how simple and delicious Javanese cuisine can be.  I love to make this if I am feeling sick, like many do with chicken soup in the West.

Semur Ayam recipe (serves 2)

for the rempah-

• 3 shallots
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 inch peeld ginger

Other ingredients

• 2 pinches ground nutmeg
• 2 pinches ground white peppercorn
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1-2 tsp salt
• 500 ml water
• 1 large potato, peeled and chunked
• 1/2 kilo chicken
• 1 lemongrass, white part only, bruised
• 50 ml kecap manis

First, pound the garlic, shallot, and ginger together in a mortar and pestle or blend in a food processor.

Next, heat a little oil in a large wok.  When hot, add the blended shallot/ginger/garlic paste and fry for several minutes.  Next throw in the chicken and fry until they are no longer pink.  

Now pour in the water and all the other ingredients.

Simmer on medium-low heat uncovered for half an hour, then serve immediately.  Enjoy!!

Gulai Kambing - Padang Style Lamb Curry

Gulai Kambing is a very popular dish, especially in Sumatra and peninsular Malaysia.  "Gulai" is a type of sauce from the Minangkabau ethnic group in West Sumatra.  Today, gulai is made with all kinds of meat, including squid, crab, prawns, beef, chicken, and all other meats.  However, the most popular kind of gulai is made with goat or lamb ("Kambing" means the animal "goat", but when speaking of meat, kambing can refer to goat and lamb meat interchangeably).  This dish is a popular part of what is called Padang food (makanan Padang) in Indonesia, which means food from Sumatera Barat province (the capital of which is Padang), which is very popular in all parts of Indonesia and Malaysia.  This dish is a lovely part of any Indonesian meal, and often serves to cool off the palette due to its mild flavor.  It is in many ways idiomatic to the Indian Korma, which also tends to be creamy, somewhat mild, and yellowish in color.  Now, let's get cooking!

Gulai Kambing recipe (serves 1-2)

For the rempah (spice paste).  Blend these ingredients to a fine paste.

• 4 small shallots
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 inch galangal
• 1/2 inch fresh turmeric
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 1/4 tsp fennel powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp coriander powder
• 3 candlenuts
• 1/4 tbsp palm sugar (gula jawa is best)
• 1/4 tsp ground white peppercorn
• 1 tsp salt

Other ingredients

• About 200g lamb meat, you can also use mutton or goat.  Shoulder meat is best.
• 2-3 kaffir lime leaves, ripped
• 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, bruised
• 2 cloves
• 1 star anise
• 1 Indonesian bay leaf (these are not the same as regular bay leaves, but if needed you can substitute regular ones.  Look for leaves labeled "daun salam" or "Indonesian bay leaf")
• 1 cardamom pod
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1.5 tbsp oil for frying
• 400 ml coconut milk (ayam brand is the best)
• 2 tbsp tamarind concentrate
• water

Let's go!

First, heat the oil in a large wok or other deep pot (I use a faitout).  Fry the whole spices (lime leaves, lemongrass, cloves, star anise, daun salam, cardamom, cinnamon) in the oil until fragrant, then adding the rempah (curry paste.)  Fry for about five minutes until aromatic and the oil separates out.  Then add in the lamb pieces and stir into the rempah until no longer pink.  Then pour in the coconut milk and tamarind.  Mix well with the spice paste and add enough water now to cover the lamb pieces entirely.  Let simmer on medium-low heat for about 2-3 hours depending on how thick you like your sauce.  In Sumatera people like it very thick, but the Javanese way is to leave the sauce a litle thinner.  Either way will be delicious!  Check seasonings before serving with plain rice, nasi kuning, nasi liwet, roti jala/canai or anything else you like.  Enjoy your gulai!

Rendang Kambing

This week I was lucky enough to have my cousin visit me for a few days all the way from the United States.  I knew just what to cook to mark the occasion!  Now I say this recipe serves three, but not when my cousin is there!  He cleaned out my pot of spiced lamb and moved on to the reserved chicken rendang I have in the fridge for my breakfasts since he liked it so much!  I think rendang is always appropriate for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and is always the perfect thing to serve guests, so I always have a little stash of it in my fridge!  Now, a little history of the dish--

Rendang comes to us from the Minangkabau people from Sumatera Barat (West Sumatra) province.  If given a choice it's likely most Indonesian people would say that rendang, along with nasi goreng, are the two foods most representative of Indonesia.  Rendang originated when the Minang would slaughter a whole cow or water buffalo, then cook it in a mouthwatering mixture of spices so as to preserve the meat for a long time.  Luckily though we have moved past this time before refrigeration and rendang is now commonly made with all sorts of meat, and loved by all sorts of people!  Dishes like this allow people to connect with eachother, working together tirelessly to make the rempah, then enjoying stimulating and friendly conversation during the long cooking time, and finally, sharing a delicious meal.  I think it is truly in the spirit of the kampung to share this dish which you can find from the fanciest restaurants in Sinagapore to the humblest home kitchens of the Indonesian countryside, being cooked on wood fires.

*P.S. I always use lamb when I make my rendang as I think it is the best meat to go alongside the rendang spices.

Rendang Domba recipe: Serves 2-3

For the rempah (curry paste)

• 2 tsp. ground coriander
  

• 2 tsp. ground cumin
  

• 2 tsp. ground fennel
  

• 1 ground star anise
  

• 3 ground cloves
  

• 1 tsp. serbuk kari daging (optional)
  

• 2 long red chilis
  

• 1 handful of dried chilis, (about 10-20 depending on preference) soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
  

• 2 inch knob of peeled ginger*
  

• 2 inch knob peeled galangal*
  

• 5 candlenuts
  

• 7 cloves garlic
  

• 150g peeled shallots
  

Other ingredients

• 2-3 tbsp palm sugar or to taste (gula jawa is best)
  

• 4 star anise
  

• 2 cloves
  

• 8 kaffir lime leaves
  

• 2 lemongrass, white part only, bashed
  

• 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk or 200 ml coconut cream
  

• Water
  

• Salt to taste
  

• 3 tbsp tamarind concentrate or to taste
  

• 1.5 kilos of lamb, I like to buy a whole shoulder, then cut what meat I can off, then throw the bone and any meat left in with he rest.  This is fine, as the meat will fall off later anyway.  Shoulder is the best cut!
  

*for ginger and galangal, slice thinly against the fibers of the rhizome.  These can be unpleasant in the mouth if left intact and blanding will not shorten them.

Let's start!

First, make the rampah using a food processor, placing one ingredient in the processor and blending until fine before adding the next.  Start with the harder ingredients, and add in the softer ones after.  The order should be roughly galangal, then ginger, then candlenuts, then garlic, then dried chilis, then fresh chilis, and shallots last, followed by dry spices which can just be mixed in with the paste as they don't need to be blended.  Now, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a soup pot, dutch oven, wok, or faitout (I love to use faitouts for slow cooked dishes like this).  Then fry the spice paste for a few minutes until it is nice and fragrant and the oil separates out.  The paste should look a little caramelized at this point. 

Now throw in the kaffir lime leaves and lemongrass, followed by the lamb meat.  Fry the meat in the spices until no longer pink.
 

Now pour in the tamarind concentrate, followed by the coconut milk/cream.  If the milk/cream doesn't cover them meat entirely, add some water.  Season with salt, palm sugar, and lemongrass.  Drop in the cloves/anise at this time as well.  Let this mixture simmer on low heat uncovered for several hours, stirring regularly.  Mine took about 5 until it was ready to eat, but time will vary.

 

Closer to the end, the oil from the coconut will separate and fry the meat in the spice mixture.  The rendang should be very dry and have little to no sauce before taking away from heat.  When done, serve with rice.  Leftovers can be saved in the fridge for about 1.5 months depending on how wet your rendang is.  Enjoy!

This finished rendang won't last long at my house!

Kari Ayam

Welcome to the kampung!  I'm so happy to be here sharing my love for food.  I want to start by introducing what Indonesian people call Kari.  Indonesia has a very special and unique way of making curry that is different from the Indian, Thai, Chinese, and all other versions.  The Indonesian curry is thought to have come from Indian influence adapted to suit local tastes and include local ingredients.  This dish, kari ayam ("curry chicken"), is a very popular today in Indonesia.  It is very common for all Indonesian people from businessmen to farmers, so it is fitting that I cook it often in my "kampung" kitchen.  This is my own recipe that has taken me years to perfect!  I hope you will like it very much!

Kari Ayam recipe (serves 2-3)

• 2 inch knob peeled galangal*
• 2 inch knob peeled ginger*
• 3 inch knob peeled fresh turmeric*
• 6-7 cloves garlic*
• 5-6 shallots*
• 4 long red chilis*
• 6 dried chilis, soaked in hot water and deseeded*
• 2 tsp. terasi (Indonesian shrimp paste, you can use Thai shrimp paste instead if this is hard to find)*
• 5-6 kemiri (candlenuts)*
• One stalk lemongrass, white part only, bashed
• 2.5 tbsp Meat Curry Powder (This can be bought in most Asian grocieries, but I will post later how to make your own.  I often use Yeo's brand from Malaysia)
• 1-2 large potatos, peeled and chunked
• 1 kg chicken
• 400 ml coconut milk (ayam brand is best)
• 1.5-2 cups stock (or dissolve 3 bouillon cubes in 1.5 cups water)
• Salt and sugar to taste

First grind the starred ingredients to a very fine paste in a food processor.  Make sure there is a nice, even consistency!  This is important so that the curry doesn't come out feeling gritty in the mouth.  Begin by blending the tough ingredients like the galangal, ginger, then the dried chilis, always adding one ingredient at a time and blending.  This finished paste is called a "rempah" in Indonesia.  Then heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a large wok or deep cooking vessel.  When smoking, add in the ground spices.  Fry until they are fragrant and the oil separates.  This can take longer than you think!  I always like to say it is better to fry the spices longer rather than shorter as the goal is to release flavor and mix the red color in the chilis with the oil.

Next add in the stock, coconut milk, lemongrass stalk, and meat curry powder.  Mix well, then leave to simmer (covered) for about 30 minutes.  Then uncover and chuck in the potato.  Let the curry simmer until the potatos are cooked.

 Serve alongside white rice, nasi lemak (for a Malaysian feel), or roti jala/roti canai.  I like to add a hard-boiled egg on the side as this can help combat the spiciness of the curry.  Selamat makan! (Indonesian version of "bon appétit!")