Ayam masak merah is one of my favorite Malay dishes. Translated as "red cooked chicken", this is a mild-spicy chicken dish. Our version is made using lots of onions as well as spices and herbs such as cinnamon stick, star anise, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves.
I like to think that this is a healthier version as we do not deep fry our chicken beforehand and I also chose to use chicken breast meat. I call it "Express Ayam Masak Merah" as it is a dish which you can whip up in under 35 minutes, yet still produce a satisfyingly, fragrant dish. Surprisingly, our kids also enjoyed this dish with us since it is not too spicy. Am happy that they are slowly accepting some spicy food in their diet.
One of the important ingredients for this dish (which is also where the final dish gets its colour from) is the cili giling, a red chilli paste made using dried chillies (cili kering). If you cannot get hold of cili giling, you can make your own by first soaking the dried chillies in water for 10 minutes, and then blitzing in a blender for 20-30 seconds until you get a paste. This will usually last for a few days if stored in the fridge.
To all my Muslim readers, Selamat Hari Raya Haji (Eid al-Adha) to you and your family. And to everyone else, enjoy the long weekend.
Express ayam masak merah
Recipe by Baby Sumo
Preparation time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 3
Ingredients
500g chicken breast meat, cut into bite-size chunks
3 large onions, cut in half and sliced
2 bulbs garlic, finely chopped
1 inch old ginger, finely chopped
4 stalks curry leaf (daun kari)
2 kaffir lime leaves (limau purut)
2 lemongrass, roughly pounded (serai)
2 cinnamon sticks (kayu manis)
3 star anise (bunga cengkih)
3 tbsp cili giling (dried chilli paste)
5 tbsp cooking oil
3-4 whole cili padi
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
To garnish
3 ulam raja leaf
1/2 red chilli, cut into flower
1 stalk curry leaf
1. In a large wok, heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic, ginger, cinnamon sticks, star anise, cili padi, curry leaf and lemongrass and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant.
2. Add cili giling and stir fry for 1 minute. Add onions and kaffir lime leaves and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Add chicken and stir fry for 2 minutes. Season with light soy sauce and salt, and sugar (optional - I omitted this). Cover with lid and cook for 5 minutes. Remove lid and give another quick stir, and cook for another 5 minutes (or more depending on how big your chicken chunks are or if using different chicken parts), until cooked.
4. Place ulam raja leaf on the plate, followed by the cooked chicken. Garnish with red chilli and curry leaf. Serve immediately with rice.
*This recipe was featured on Asian Food Channel's FB page on 31 October 2012.
Looks very yummy!!! But i see merah...a whole lot redder though - of course, that does not necessarily mean it's better. I prefer our Sarawak's mask hitam actually...
ReplyDeleteNever tried masak hitam before... shd look up the recipe.
DeleteAh, what a great dish! No harm to just imagine how good this was when the herbs & spices are being stir-fried in the wok!
ReplyDeleteHappy that my kids can accept this dish too!
DeleteLooks delicious... perfect combo with white rice or many coconut rice =)
ReplyDeleteThank u! Usually we just have it with white rice, healthier ;)
DeleteWhoa, another mouth watering dish from you Yen. When are you going to invite me over for dinner? LOL!
ReplyDeleteAnytime lah! :)
DeleteYay to long weekend!! So many recipes at your blog recently! Omg, cannot catch up, lol! But I like! :D *thumbs up*
ReplyDeleteHehe, I wanna see some of your cooking too :)(I cook everyday, sometimes I will try different dishes for my kids, I also cannot keep up with all the blogging for my recipes LOL!)
DeleteLooks so delicious,makes my mouth water.. shall try your express version sometime.
ReplyDeleteI think these herbs and spices can be easily found in SG, right?
DeleteLooks good! I love anything that is cooked with curry leaves.. just makes them SO fragrant!! :)
ReplyDeleteMe too! Thankfully, we have a big pot of it growing in our garden ;)
DeleteTis is one of my favourite malay dishes, although most of those made outside are mostly too spicy for my liking...hmm..now that you've posted the recpe, maybe i should try making it this weekend :) thanks for sharing,
ReplyDeleteThe great thing abt making it yourself... is that you can control how spicy you want it to be. I also do not like very spicy ones, makes my tongue go numb!
Deletei think i'd enjoy your version too, since it sounds toned down in terms of chili but fully flavorful in terms of other herbs and spices. ooh, and this really shows your versatility in cooking ... your malay dishes look as scrumptious as your chinese and western ones! :D
ReplyDeleteI'm still learning when it comes to Malay cuisine, still need to learn which herb and spices to pair with certain curries etc.
DeleteHi Baby Sumo, delicious ayam masak merah. Can have extra rice. :)
ReplyDeleteLovely presentation.
I don't fried the chicken too, find it taste better without frying. But my version I add some sugar and tomato ketchup to enhance the taste.
Have a nice week ahead.
Ah I saw lots of recipes using tomato sauce when I was doing my research. But my mum and I have always made it this way.
DeleteOoh is this the same as the red cooked rice? Or perhaps I'm confusing two dishes and cuisines entirely! :P Either way, I love that it looks delicious but is quick to make :D
ReplyDeleteThere is a rice called "tomato rice", not sure if you meant that one. But sometimes it is served with ayam masak merah (this chicken dish).
DeleteWhat irresistible dish
ReplyDeleteThanks! Couldn't resist having another bowl of rice:P
DeletePlease, please please can I come for lunch?
ReplyDeleteLOL! Sure if you like simple homecooked fare ;)
DeleteThis sounds like such an awesome dish...loved the use of spices.
ReplyDeleteHi Amrita, thanks! This is a very famous Malay dish, and this is my take on the dish.
DeleteCan I come for lunch soon? The ayam masak merah looks good. Very appetizing and could probably make me go carbo loading >.<.
ReplyDeleteHaha I always go for an extra bowl of rice too when I cook this!
DeleteHello my friend! very interesting recipe.... Thanks for sharing...
ReplyDeleteHi Manuel, thanks for dropping by. Hope to learn some Peruvian cuisine from you too.
DeleteHMMM!!!! What a flavorful delicious beautiful dish! I'm loving lots of garlic in this dish. Yum!
ReplyDeleteKeep the vampires away too! LOL!
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