I first learnt about this dish from Nor Hadayah who was my guest on the podcast - she told me about how adding smoked chicken or beef to lemak cili padi gravy takes the dish to the next level. Smoking is such a great way to boost flavour and, rather than using charcoal, I like using smoking in a wok for its ease. The wok is usually lined with foil and a mixture of rice, sugar, tea leaves, and other ingredients like citrus peel or spices. When heated, the sugar begins to caramelize, and the resulting smoke is able to penetrate and flavour meat, tofu or vegetables. Since moving to Australia, my environmentally-conscious husband has decided that we should stop buying aluminum foil, and I learnt about using banana leaves in smoking from Nor. I skipped the foil and lined my wok with banana leaves before adding rice, sugar, and tea leaves and it worked even better. The flavour of charred banana leaves is absolutely delicious in this dish and I would cook this again and again!
Ayam Salai Masak Lemak Cili Padi
Serves 4-6
For the smoked chicken:
1.5kg chicken pieces
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
3-4 layers banana leaves
4 tablespoon raw rice
2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon black tea leaves
Pat the chicken dry and rub with turmeric powder, salt, and white pepper. Marinate for at least 1 hour. Steam the chicken for 25 minutes on low heat. Place a piece of foil at the base of the wok. Add the banana leaf, rice, jaggery, and tea leaves. Heat gently until the sugar liquefies and you smell the smoke. Add the chicken parts and smoke on low heat, covered, for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and let it sit for another 10 minutes. Tear off a bit of chicken and taste it - if it does not taste smoky enough for your liking, leave it in the smoke for longer.
Lemak cili padi gravy:
90g peeled red onion, cut roughly
20g peeled garlic cloves
20g cut chilli or chilli padi
35g scraped turmeric, scraped to remove skin then sliced
25g skinless galangal
20g skinless ginger
30g lemongrass (white part only), sliced
4 tablespoons oil
800g thick coconut milk
500g water
5-10 kaffir lime leaves
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Water or coconut cream to adjust the richness, as desired
Blend the onions, garlic, chilli padi, turmeric, galangal, ginger, and lemongrass until a spice paste forms. Heat the oil in a wok or pot and add the spice paste. Fry on low heat until it is fragrant. Add the coconut milk, water, lime leaves, salt and sugar. Stir and bring to a simmer. Add water or coconut cream to adjust the gravy to your desired richness and consistency. Add the smoked chicken and any juices from steaming, and allow to poach for 10-15 minutes on low heat to fully tenderize the chicken and absorb the gravy.
Негізгі бет Ayam Salai Masak Lemak Cili Padi | Smoked Chicken Cooked in a Turmeric Gravy
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