Friday, July 2, 2010

Satay Ayam Bakar 娘惹沙爹烤雞 Nyonya Grilled Satay Chicken




With no Nyonya (or Peranakan)  bloodlines and recipes passed down to me I rely solely on a few trusted cookbooks when it comes to cooking good Nyonya food. I am rather satisfied with my very first attempt, so get the motar and pastel out and spice up those chilly nights ahead. I also made some sambal kecap  to go with the dish, it actually helps cutting down the richness of the sauce a little so give it a try.
P.S I will try to do a post on skewered satay very soon. This is a recipe from "The New Mr.s Lee's Cookbook" by Mr.s Lee Chin Koon, the late mother of Lee Kuan Yew (former Prime Minister of Singapore)  



recipe adapted from "The New Mr.s Lee's Cookbook"
serves 4 as part of a Nyonya or Malaysian meal;
you'll need;
1 whole chicken or 1.2 kg of chicken maryland, cut into large pieces
400 ml of coconut milk
3 kaffir lime leaves (optional)
salt to taste
sugar to taste

for the spice mix;
1 stalk of lemongrass (white part only) chopped
2 long red chillies, chopped
3 bird chillies, chopped
1 slice of fresh turmeric
8 shallots, chopped
3 candlenuts, chopped
1/2 tsp of shrimp paste, toasted
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp of pepper



Coarsely pound the spice mix ingredients in a mortar and pastel or blend it in a food processor.



Heat up the coconut milk and add in the spice mix and kaffir lime leaves.



Add chicken to the pot, mix well and simmer for 35 to 40 minutes or til chicken is tender. Stirring from time to time, the sauce should be fairly thick at the end of the cooking. Remove chicken pieces.



Bake chicken pieces on the top shelf of the preheated oven til the skin is golden and crispy. Alternatively this can be done on the bbq or over charcoal flame. The chicken is tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, perfect as it is!



Meanwhile continue to cook the sauce on low heat til the oil splits. Check for seasonings.



Drizzle the sauce over the chicken and serve immediately as part of a Nyonya or Malaysian meal. Try serving this with sambal kecap  to cut down the richness of the dish.

29 comments:

  1. tummyy... tolongg! perot saya lapar tengok ayam bakar awak tuh!

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  2. Great looking dish! The sauce must go so well with the crispy chicken!

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  3. If you tear the Kaffir lime leaves like this, it will give more flavour rather than just throwing them in whole and it is also very easy to pick them out. My grandma is a Nyonya but even with Peranakan bloodline, I can't cook as well as you!

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  4. OMG this is making crave for some spicy food tonight! I am making your shredded chicken with rice noodles so I don't feel so bad knowing we will be eating something delicious tonight lol

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  5. Tummy dear..my perut dah mula lapar ni..hari ni hanya makan mee sup je..bila lihat ayam ni..ooo tak boleh tahan hehe

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  6. j'adore la sauce
    un plat très appétissant
    bonne journée

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  7. irresistable and droolworthy ...just love it.

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  8. We tried nyonya food when we were in Penang and Melacca and was in love with the cuisine. If only there is a good nyonya restaurant here. This is a beautiful looking dish, it is a must try!

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  9. Looks so Thai and delicious to me!

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  10. Oh yum, that looks so good. I like how you can bake it in the oven :) Didn't know that Mr. Lee had a cookbook out! SOunds very interesting.

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  11. ooo i had chicken tonight as well :). the saucy saucee looks incredibly delicious!

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  12. Love that crispy chicken dish!
    But you always leave me hungry!LOL
    Have a great weekend!
    Big hugs!
    B xxxx

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  13. hana,
    Haha belum makan lagi ke? :)

    Yasmin ,
    Thank you very much! Indeed!

    Quinn,
    Adding the kaffir lime leaves was an afterthought, I normally tear it first. Thanks for the tips!
    You cook very well!

    CW ,
    Thank you! Please let me know how you like the dish!

    makcikmanggis ,
    oh terima kasih makcik! Malam masak apa?

    Fimère,
    Merci beaucoup!

    Jay,
    Thank you very much!

    rosa ,
    It is a shame! I will try to put on a few more nyonya classics and you can try cooking it at home.

    Angie,
    Thank you very much! It taste very different from Thai food though.

    shaz,
    Thank you very much! It was too cold to use the bbq outside :)
    This is a new edition rewritten by her granddaughter.

    Ann ,
    Thank you very much! what did you eat?

    Betty,
    Thank you very much! I am sure I will cook for you one day.
    Have a good weekend too xxx

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  14. Wow very delicious! It looks a bit like a dish we had in Bali :)

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  15. Harriet from CarltonJuly 2, 2010 at 11:11 PM

    A very interesting dish and I would love to try making it soon.

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  16. YUM YUM, makes me salivated! Have a nice weekend.

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  17. Wow!! Nice click...Perfect and authentic...

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  18. WOW! Looks so yummy and this reminds me that I have Mrs. Lee Cookbook too!

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  19. Can always count on you to whip up anything fantastic! I can smell it from here!

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  20. looks finger licking good have a fun weekend

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  21. That does look delicious! I only knew of the skewered satay.

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  22. Delicious!!!! This chicken dish is flavorful with the mortaring of spices. A satay will be absolutely delightful.

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  23. This is a bit like the ayam percik I made! I'll try adding kaffir lime leaves next time, must be extra fragrant!

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  24. Candlenuts???? I love reading ingedients from halfway across the world. It's such a wonder! The sauce is sublime. When are you doing a coookbook?

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  25. I've got that cookbook too - love it! I love just looking at the photos. Kind of sad, I know!

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  26. I have never had Nyonya food before and this is a very good introduction to the cuisine. Looks very delicious!

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  27. Alamak! I shouldn't come here when I am just about to have leftover pizza from last night lol. Beautiful dish and I am looking forward to your satay cucuk!

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  28. Another dish full of color and flavor! I don't need to get that cookbook I'll just keep checking here to get great recipes and these fantastic instructions too!

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  29. 3 Studies REVEAL How Coconut Oil Kills Waist Fat.

    This means that you actually kill fat by eating coconut fat (including coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut oil).

    These 3 researches from large medical magazines are sure to turn the conventional nutrition world around!

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