For this post, I am sharing my next food recipe, Ayam Masak Merah (Sweet & Spicy Chicken). This is one of my favorite dishes that my late mum used to cook. Whenever she cooked this dish last time, my hubby (then boyfriend) will eat loads of it! Funny thing my brother does not remember my late mum making this dish, I think because he stays away from us and this dish is not regularly made.
I have tried about half a dozen times making this dish since last year and I finally nailed it! Finally able to get the correct taste as how my late mum made it. I am so so so happy with the latest attempt and I even made extras to be given away to my brother in law and 2 sister in laws to try. They all sang praises of the sweet and spiciness of the chicken and loved it! Yay! So without further ado, here is the recipe for Ayam Masak Merah (Sweet & Spicy Chicken):
Ingredients:
* Chicken thighs (quantity up to you)
* Garlic (about 3 cloves slice thinly)
* Oil (about 3 tbsp for frying chicken)
* 2 stalks of lemongrass
* Star anise & cardamom pods and a stalk of lemongrass
Marinades
* Turmeric powder (about 3-4 tbsp)
* Sriracha chili sauce (about 1 tbsp)
* Salt and pepper
To blend:
* Half cup of chili sauce
* 3 tbsp of tomato sauce* 2 red tomatoes, deseeded
* 5 small chili padi, deseeded and slice thinly (in English it is called 'bird's eye chili pepper')
* 1 tsp of Brown sugar
* 3 red onions slice thinly
* Salt & white pepper
Methods:
* Marinade the chicken thighs with the marinade ingredients listed above. I usually mix the chicken with the marinade with my hands. Let it sit for at least 1 hour.* In the meantime, blend all the ingredients listed in the 'To Blend' section. If you want a smooth puree look, you can blend until smooth. I would try not to blend until so smooth the next time I attempt this dish. I think a chunkier sauce/gravy would look nicer ;)
* In a heated wok, add oil. Start frying the chicken.
* Once all the chicken are fried, put the chicken aside and reduce the amount of oil. I left about 1 tbsp of oil.
* Add the lemongrass, star anise & cardamom pods, the blended ingredients and wait till it starts boiling a bit, add back the fried chicken and lemongrass, gently toss them to ensure the gravy/sauce covered them until all are cooked. You can add more sugar and/or salt if you want it to be sweeter/saltier etc.
Outcome:
This recipe is definitely for keeps!
To view my other recipes, feel free to hop over to my Recipe Library page for more info!
