AYAM BAKAR KEMIRI AKA PAN ROASTED CANDLENUT CHICKEN.

AYAM BAKAR KEMIRI.
PAN ROASTED CANDLENUT CHICKEN.

This is one dish which is made at least twice a month at home. The creaminess of ground candle nuts, the caramalisation of kecap manis, The Heat of the Sambal it’s served with, balance with herbed rice so well. A very easy dish to make and eat. šŸ˜Š. Make a side dish of TUMISAN. ( Indonesian stir fry vegetables) and you areĀ  sorted for a comfort meal.
Try and use thigh pieces of chicken, with or without the skin.

THE PASTE.. (A)
10 candle nuts.. Lightly sautƩed.
12 cloves garlic
6 shallots
2 cms fresh turmeric
1 inch pc ginger
1 tbsps coriander seeds, slightly roasted.
Grind the above ingredients with 1/4 cup oil.
Add 1/4 cup water if needed for a smoother paste.
Put this paste in a nonstick pan and cook on low fire till it’sĀ  completely dry.

Now..
In a bowl, take aboutĀ  8 medium size chicken thigh on bone.
Add..
1/2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp mushroom powder or msg(1/2 tsp)
1 tsp of black pepper powder.
1 tbsp oyster sauce.
Paste of candle nuts…( A)
Rub the chicken well, cover and keep aside for an hour.

Now take a non stick pan,
Put the chicken pieces along with the marinate and cook till 80 percent done, while flipping periodically.
Add about half cup water, mix and cover for few mins, till the water is almost finished, and chicken is cooked.
Now add 4 tbsps of kecap manis, 1 heaped tbsp of margarine.
Mix and cook till gravy is thick and coats the chicken. Serve with fresh chillie Sambal,Ā  some cucumber, and white rice.
Finger licking good.

** in lieu of candle nuts maybe cashewnuts will do.
** if you don’t have kecap manis, try mixing soya sauce and honey together.
**This recipe is adapted from a local Indonesian you tube channel..Ā  Mrs Devina.
I have just tweaked it a little.

My dinner plate

SATE LILIT AYAM/CHICKEN

SATE LILIT

Sate, or satay, is a beloved dish in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.
Every province will have Thier own versions of it. Sate are loved by one and all, easily available and  almost all food stalls will serve these. Meat is normally skewered, Roasted and served with a peanut sauce.

Todays recipe is a Balinese version of Sate.
Sate lilit means wrapped around, not skewered, much like our desi  kebabs, only difference is, the meat is wrapped around slightly bashed lemon grass stalks, so you can imagine the intense fresh flavours. These Sate are not served with any peanut sauce. But served with a raw chiliie onion Sambal called Sambal matah.
Do try this simple and tasty recipe

SATE LILIT**

**Ingredients:**
– 300 g finely minced chicken
– 4 red chillies
– 3 candle nuts (slightly roasted) or cashew nuts
– 3 shallots
– 2 cloves garlic
– 1 tsp chicken seasoning powder
– 1 stalk lemongrass (bottom white part only), finely chopped
– 1-2 tbsp oil
– 4 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
– 2 tbsp freshly grated coconut
– 1.5 tbsp thick coconut milk
– 1 tsp salt
– 12-14 lemongrass stalks, trimmed and lightly bashed

**Instructions:**
1. Grind the red chillies, candle nuts, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, and chicken seasoning powder into a paste without using water.
2. Cook the paste in a pan with oil over low heat until the oil separates and the paste is dry.
3. Mix the cooked paste with minced chicken, chopped kaffir lime leaves, grated coconut, coconut milk, and salt.
4. Take small portions of the chicken mixture and wrap them around the bashed lemongrass stalks.
5. Grill the wrapped chicken on a lightly oiled non-stick pan.

**SAMBAL MATAH**

**Ingredients:**
– 4 red chillies, finely chopped
– 5 shallots, minced
– 3 kaffir lime leaves, minced
– 1 lemongrass stalk (bottom only), minced
– Salt to taste
– 1/2 tsp sugar
– 2 tbsp very hot oil
– Lime (for finishing)

**Instructions:**
1. Combine all the finely chopped ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix in salt and sugar.
3. Pour hot oil over the mixture and mix well.
4. Finish with a squeeze of lime.

Enjoy your Sate Lilit with Sambal Matah!

My Indonesian lunch plate for lunch

AYAM SERUNDENG/ FRIED CHICKEN

AYAM SERUNDENG

Se..run..deng, refers to crispy floss. Normally the residue left behind after boiling chicken which has been cooked with ground spices and herbs. The chicken is removed after its tender and theĀ  stock is further cooked till all water evaporates…Reverse cookingšŸ˜Š. This residue is then deep fried or sautedĀ  untill its crisp.
Normally this is sprinkled over the fried chicken and served with steamed jasmineĀ  rice, chillie sambal and some lalapan( salad)
We all relishĀ  eatingĀ  this with our hands, asĀ  the Indonesians do..Eating food with the hands is much favoured here.
Now, crisp floss itself can be made differently using 2 or 3 main ingredients..
Coconut, galangal or candlenuts.
Today I will share the coconut and galangal one .

I whole chicken with skin , cut into 10 pieces. Or use thigh, breast, anything.

3 kaffir leaf pairs.
3 fresh bay leaves
2 stalks of lemongrass…cut into 4 to 5 pieces, bashed.
60 grams galangal …grated.
1 bowl grated /scraped coconut.. about 150 grams.
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp mushroom seasoning or msg
2 tsps or to taste salt.

FOR THE PASTE..GRIND FINELY
2 inch piece ginger
2 inch piece fresh turmeric
10 shallots
Ā  8 garlic cloves
5 candlenuts or cashewnuts
1 tbsp corriander seed powder.
1 tsp white pepper powder
Ā  1/4 cup oil


Take a sauce pan or wok,Ā  add the ground paste and saute till fragrant. After 5 mins add the fresh herbs kaffir lime leaves, bay leaves, lemon grass.
Saute for a while.
Add 1 tsp sugar
About 2 tsps salt.
1 tsp mushroom seasoning or msg

Add the chicken pieces, mix well and addĀ  2 cups of water..bring to a boil.
Add the grated galangal and mix well.

Once mixed properly, add grated coconut.

and let chicken cook completely

The water should reduce to a thick gravy.

Remove chicken pieces and keep aside.
Cook the gravy till really dry.

Heat oil in a wok, flash fry the cooked chicken .

In the remaining oil, add the semi dried gravy.. and fry on medium heat till light golden.. Remove and keep aside. This is the floss or Serundeng.
Stir constantly so the semi solids don’t burn.
ā—‹ It took me about 15 mins to fry the floss, when the bubbles started disappering while floss was being fried and the colour was golden, I removed it on a strainer. It will be slightly soft, but should becomeĀ  crisp upon cooling. This can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and used as a topping .

To serve,Ā  put the chicken on a platter, sprinkle floss/ serundeng on top.

We enjoy eating this with steamed rice.
Labu siam ( chayote) stir fried, some spicy sambal, and a lalapan( salad) of cucumber and fresh lemon basil.
Try eating with your hand and relish every bite.

Fusion Baked Truffle Khichdi.

FUSION BAKED TRUFFLE KHICHDI.

A very very simple comfort soul food.
Khichdi am sure is popular in all Indian homes. This khichdi barely uses any spices. Using truffle oil is the ultimate here. Lately in many Indian weddings, this has been a part of the menu. And truffle with anything is my favourite, be it pasta, be it french fries. šŸ˜Š today had these fresh shitake myshrooms so was tempted to make a fusion sort of a khichdi with them plus other vegs.
Do try this pantry friendly , humble khichdi which has amazing flavours.
I wish I had the fresh truffle which I could grate and add, but made do with the equally good flavoured truffle oil that I had

INGREDIENTS
Wash and soak together for an hour.
1/2 cup rice
1/4 cup yellow moong dal
1/4 cup toovar dal

Other ingredients.
1/2 cup finely chopped cauliflower
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh shitake mushroom( or any other mushrooms)
1/2 cup finely chopped french beans
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots.
2 sprigs curry pata..finely chop only the leaves .
1 heaped tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder.

Salt to taste
1 tsp mushroom seasoning or any vegetarian flavour( maggie cube or something)

For topping
Fresh mint leaves
Finely chopped corriander leaves
Fried onions.
Grated cheese as needed
Some sugar
Truffle oil or grated truffle..here I used the oil spray.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pressure cooker or saucepan.
Add mustard seeds, cumin, When seeds crackle, add chopped curry leaves and some kotmir to the oil. Now add the garlic, saute till light golden. Add all the vegetables, salt, mushroom seasoning, turmeric, rice, dal and about 3 cups of water. Cook for 3 to 4 whistles.
Once the lid can be opened, churn a little with a wooden churner. Add about 2 tsps of truffle oil. But let the khichdi be not too smooth, leave it with a bite to it.

Put in a baking dish.
Sprinkle a bit of sugar all over the surface..just a bit, and it melts slightly for that slight upgrade in taste.
Top with grated cheese and spray truffle oil. Just grill for few minutes only till cheese melts.( you can even microwave it till cheese meltsā€¦normally 1 to 2 minutes.)
Top with corriander leaves, mint leaves and fried onions and a squirt of lime juice.

Enjoy.
I served with crispy karela and papadum, fried fish and pan fried potatoes.