SilverOcean Cooking: Chicken rendang

This year for Eid, I thought of preparing chicken rendang. A traditional ethnic malay dish. Doesn't need much explaining.

Here's how I did it:

My wife checked out the recipe from a Chef Wan's cook book.

We wanted to prepare 3 whole chickens (so we can share and also have enough to deep-freeze for later consumption).

We outlined the ingredients as follows:

1. Shallots or bawang ros (Indian ones, they are small, kind of a hassle to peel but very aromatic, and about 30 of them, so I cleverly left the peeling part to the wife).
2. Root ginger (about 6 inches). Use a potato peeler to peel.
3. Fresh root turmeric (about 4 inches). Ditto, use potato peeler.
4. Gallangal (known as lengkuas in Malay), about 3 - 4 inches, but I wasn't measuring.... Peel the sides using a knive.
5. Garlic about 3 whole bulbs, peeled.
6. Lemon-grass bulbs, about 9 of them. This will kick-it up!
6. Birds-eye chillies, about 10 of them, red and green.
7. A couple of table spoons of chilly paste (cili-boh).
8. About 5 - 6 pieces of candlenuts (Buah keras).

Blend these, add some water while blending to make it into a paste.

This took us about 3 whole hours to do.

Then we packed this and placed it in the fridge.

The next day, I woke up early as usual and went to the market to buy some fresh poultry. I arrived at the market at 5.30am. The bar-girls and china-dolls were just leaving the club (there's a club just a block away). But I was looking for real chickens so no worries!

I bought 4 chickens, had skin removed. The trick to having good chicken is to not put the bird in the tub of hot water to remove the feathers. Instead ask the butcher, to remove the skin as soon as the bird is slaughtered (okay, wait for it to die first, okay).

Clean chicken, remove all innards, excess fats, remove all organ meats, and chop into 12 pieces per bird.

Also buy 1.5kg of coconut cream.

Buy some keffir lime leaves (daun limau purut) and some screw-pine leaves (daun pandan).

Buy some coconut paste known as 'kerisik', and some turmeric leaves for garnishing.

Cooking method:

1. In a non-stick wok, put the paste blended yesterday and reduce it. Medium flame. This can take almost 45-minutes to an hour. Add the keffir lime leaves for aroma. Also some screw-pine leaves (daun-pandan)

2. When the water has reduced, add in the chicken. Salt to taste. A bit more salt is fine, but don't kill it with excess.

3. Add in coconut cream. By now, the dish will look light brown. Cook till chicken is almost done. When the oil from coconut cream is released, it's an indicator that the dish is ready, almost.

4. You can start tasting it, and adjust salt levels. Now, add it a couple of teaspoons of coconut paste or kerisik. And this will bring the colour to reddish-fiery brown. And add some character to the dish.

5. When almost reduced, lower the flame to small, and add garnish of turmeric leaves (fine strips). I like more of this. But go at your pace.

Switch off the flame. Let it now settle. Do not cover lid yet.

And yes, start washing up all the mess.

Rendang taste better when it has settled for a few hours, or preferably the next day.

You can re-heat it whenever you like.

Best eaten with plain white rice (hot and steaming), with some stir-fried french beans with chilly. Or just chop up some onions.

Selamat Hari Raya AidilFitri!