Mother-In-Law Chicken Rendang

They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach so I first learned to cook Malay cuisine about 17 years ago that is since I’ve known this wonderful Malay man from Batu Pahat, Johore.  As I learned to prepare the cuisine myself, I also learned to appreciate the cuisine better. Heavy on spices, for me, it is truly a culinary work of art. 

My mother-in-law was my very first teacher. She taught me how to cook and taught me almost everything about Malay cuisine. Today I want to share my mother-in-law version of Chicken Rendang.  

Chicken Rendang

Ingredients

1 whole chicken

2 stalks of lemon grass – white part only and bruised

2 cups of coconut milk (1 cup of thick coconut milk plus 1 cup of water)

1½ tbsp cumin powder

1½ tbsp fennel powder

4 tbsp kerisik (toasted grated coconut)

5 pcs of kaffir lime leaves - bruised

2 pcs turmeric leaves – thinly sliced

¼ cup of tamarind juice (½ tbsp. tamarind paste dissolved in ¼ cup water)

Salt and palm sugar – to taste

To blend into a smooth paste

4 cloves garlic – peeled and crushed

2 yellow onion – peeled and quartered

2-inch galangal – peeled and sliced

2-inch ginger – peeled and sliced

2 stalks of lemongrass – white part only and coarsely chopped

1 tbsp turmeric powder

5 tbsp dried chili paste

5 pcs fresh bird’s eye chillies (Add more if you like it spicier)

How to cook

1.    Trim off any excess fat then exfoliate the chicken to remove any trapped dirt or unpleasant stuff off the skin by grabbing a handful of coarse salt and rub all over the skin but at the same time being careful not to tear the skin and rinse well.  Cut into large bite-sized chunk then pat dry. Marinade the chicken with 1 tsp of turmeric powder and 1 tsp of salt. Fry the chicken until half cooked then set aside.

2.   In a different wok, add about ¾ cup of cooking oil and fry the bruised lemon grass until fragrant. Add the spice paste together with the cumin and fennel powder then sauté until fragrant and the oil separates out. Do not be alarmed by the amount of cooking oil in this recipe as it is crucial to ensure that the spices is appropriately cooked and to prevent the gravy from drying out during storage.

3.  Add the chicken and the coconut milk then bring to a simmer on medium heat, stirring frequently until the liquid has dried up.  

4.     Add the kerisik, kaffir lime leaves and turmeric leaves. Stir to blend well with the chicken.

5.  Add tamarind juice, palm sugar and salt to taste then continue to simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally to avoid the gravy to stick to the bottom of the wok until the oil separates out.

6.    Turn off the heat. Dish out and serve!