AYAM KALASAN..{SWEET JAVANESE FRIED CHICKEN}

Ayam Kalasan (Sweet Javanese Fried Chicken)
A famous specialty from Yogyakarta, Ayam Kalasan is gently simmered in coconut water and spices, then fried until golden. It’s slightly sweet, aromatic, and very tender inside.
Very easy to make and eat😊

Ingredients (Serves 4)
Chicken
1 kg chicken (–8 pieces) I used thigh and drumsticks. Lightly make slits on the pieces of chicken.
Spice Paste (blend)
8 shallots
4 cloves garlic
4 candlenuts (kemiri)
2 tsp coriander powder
1 cm galangal
1 tsp pepper
Salt to taste
For simmering
400 ml coconut water
1 stalk lemongrass (smashed)
4 kaffir lime leaves
2 daun salam( indonesian bay leaves)
1 tbsp heaped palm sugar (gula merah) sliced
2 tsp tamarind water
For frying
Oil for deep frying
👩‍🍳 Method
Blend spice paste until smooth.
Simmer chicken
In a pot, combine chicken + spice paste + coconut water + lemongrass + lime leaves + palm sugar.
Cook on medium-low heat 25–30 mins until liquid reduces and chicken is fully cooked.
Rest
Let chicken sit in the reduced sauce 10–15 mins to absorb flavour.
Fry
Deep flash fry in medium-hot oil until golden brown. Do not over-fry (it’s already cooked)
Serve With
Steamed rice
Sambal
Fresh lalap (cucumber, basil leaves)

Here I also added some eggs in a red BALADO sauce. Recipe as follows

TELOR BALADO.
🥚 Ingredients
4 boiled eggs, peeled
2 tomatoes, quartered
3 red chillies (adjust to spice level)
10 shallots
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons oil
Salt to taste
A pinch of MSG (optional) or 1/2 tsp sugar.
Some Kaffir lime juice.
Method
Start by heating the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, red chillies, shallots, and garlic. Cover and let them cook gently until everything softens and turns fragrant.

Allow the mixture to cool completely, then blend it coarsely. The sambal should still have a little texture — not too smooth.
In the same pan, lightly sauté the boiled eggs until the outer layer becomes slightly golden. This helps the sambal cling better to the eggs.
Add the blended chilli mixture back into the pan. Season with salt and a pinch of MSG if using. Let it simmer gently until the eggs are beautifully coated and the oil begins to separate slightly from the sambal.

my lunch plate