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Malaysian Kerutuk Chicken
by Hasni Ghazali, Bentara Restaurant, New Haven, CT
Directions
Serves 4
Put all the spices in a non-stick skillet and dry sauté on medium heat until light brown and fragrant. Take off the heat and transfer the spices to a bowl.
Using a coffee grinder (used specifically for grinding spices) ground the spices to a powder. You might have to do this in batches. Set aside.
Return the sauté pan to the burner and add the grated coconut to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown.
Transfer to a mortar and use the pestle to grind the coconut in batches until it becomes a paste and begins to seep oil. Set aside.
Pour the vegetable oil in the skillet over medium heat. When shimmering hot, add the garlic, shallots, ginger, and lemongrass and sauté until light golden brown. Take off the heat and let cool.
Transfer the shallot mixture to a blender, add the chili paste and blend.
Pour the mixture in the blender into a Dutch oven. Stir in the spices, ground coconut, salt and sugar.
Add the chicken and move the chicken pieces around to distribute the spice mix evenly.
Cook, covered, over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and being very careful to not let the bottom of the pot burn.
After 15 minutes, add the potatoes, coconut milk, tamarind skin and water. (If using tamarind paste, mix it with water using your finger. Strain the mixture into the pot and discard the pulp.)
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Serve with steamed white rice.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coriander seeds
- 1Tbs. fennel seeds
- 1Tbs. cumin seeds
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 3 cardamom pods
- 2 star anise
- 1 cup freshly grated coconut
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 10 shallots sliced thin
- 1 inch piece ginger, thinly sliced
- 2 pieces lemongrass white part only, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbs. sambal oelek or dried chili de arbol, reconstituted in water and blended to a paste
- 3 lb. whole chicken cut up cut up into 10 pieces (cut the breasts in half)
- 2 medium Yukon Golds potatoes, peeled and cut up into 6 pieces each
- 1 13.5-oz. can coconut milk
- 1 tamarind skin (or 1/2 ounce of tamarind pulp)
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
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