Those who know me well will know that I love cooking and hosting friends and family at my home. I enjoy working in my kitchen and with the new dining area recently added to our house, it’s always a pleasure to lay out a meal and seeing everyone tucking in.
One of the most popularly-requested meals at my home is Nasi Lemak – something which is pretty easy for me to whip up. Because it’s a meal that’s regularly cooked when hosting and entertaining friends, I usually cook a special main dish to feature in the meal. Recently, I did Ayam Percik and it proved to be a hit.
Ayam Percik is a popular dish that originates from the East Coast and it’s widely available in Ramadhan bazaars when the Muslim fasting month starts. It’s usually grilled on an open grill, with its appetizing aromas filling up the bazaars.
At home, it can be easily replicated, using the oven. As I have not featured a cooking post in this blog for quite some time, due to many requests, I’m now sharing this with you all. Trust me, with proper planning and time management, Ayam Percik can be done, the fast and easy way! Here’s how to do it…
Fast & Easy AYAM PERCIK
Ingredients:
To prepare the chicken:
4 pcs whole chicken leg (thighs + drumsticks)
2″ pc of turmeric, 5 shallots
Pound/blend together 2” pc of turmeric + 5 shallots
Marinate chicken with the pounded ingredients and 2 tsp of salt.
Set aside for a few hours or even overnight.
Spice paste – blend these together:
5 red chillies
10 dried chillies
10 shallots
5 pips of garlic
2” pc of turmeric
2” pc of ginger
2” pc of galangal
3 stalks lemongrass
2 tbsp cooking oil
600ml thick coconut milk
100ml asam jawa juice
Salt and sugar to taste
Method:
1. In a wok, heat up cooking oil and stir-fry the spice paste for about 5 minutes till fragrant.
2. Pour in coconut milk, asam jawa juice and add in chicken.
3. Season to taste and let chicken simmer in low/medium heat for 15 minutes. The gravy would have thickened by then.
4. Dish up chicken and place on an oven tray.
5. Grill chicken in oven in 180oC for 10 minutes, remove from oven and baste with some of the gravy. Grill for a further 10 minutes till the skin is golden and crispy.
6. Drizzle the remainder of the thick gravy over chicken before serving.
Simmer chicken in the coconut milk + spices gravy
