Sambal Ayam: Authentic Malaysian Spicy Chicken

Method6 steps · about 1 hr 30 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Coat all four chicken drumsticks with all 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon turmeric powder. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Heat all 1½ cups cooking oil for deep-frying over medium-high heat, then fry the drumsticks until fully cooked, checking at least 74°C in the thickest meat away from bone. Drain the cooked chicken on a clean plate and continue promptly with the sauce. Carefully measure and reserve ½ cup of the actual used frying oil for stage 3; the remainder is not added to the sambal.

   Uses 4 chicken drumstick(s) · 1 tsp salt · 1 tbsp turmeric powder · 1½ cups cooking oil for frying the chicken; reserve a measured ½ cup used oil for the sambal

   
2. 2

   Step 2: Blend all five shallots, two garlic cloves and the complete 2½ cm ginger piece into a fine paste. Reserve the entire paste for stage 4.

   Uses 5 shallot(s) · 2 garlic cloves · One 2½ cm piece ginger

   
3. 3

   Step 3: Heat the measured ½ cup reserved chicken-frying oil over medium heat. Add all 5 tablespoons prepared cili boh and fry, stirring, until oil separates from the chilli paste and the paste is cooked. Lower the heat or briefly lift the pan off the stove if the chilli starts scorching.

   Uses Measured ½ cup actual used frying oil for the sambal · 5 tablespoons prepared cili boh chilli paste

   
4. 4

   Step 4: Add the complete blended shallot-garlic-ginger paste and both bruised lemongrass stalks (2) to the cooked chilli-and-oil mixture. Sauté for another 5–6 minutes, stirring until fragrant and the aromatics are cooked.

   Sauté blended aromatics: 5–6 minutes · 6 minUses Cooked cili boh in the measured reserved frying oil · Complete blended shallot-garlic-ginger paste · 2 lemongrass stalks, bruised

   
5. 5

   Step 5: Mix all ½ tablespoon tamarind paste into the cooked sambal. Add all four fully cooked fried drumsticks and coat them thoroughly. Simmer gently for another 5 minutes, stirring carefully so the sauce does not scorch.

   Simmer cooked chicken in sambal: 5 minutes · 5 minUses Cooked aromatic sambal with lemongrass · 0.5 tbsp tamarind paste · Complete batch of fully cooked fried chicken drumsticks

   
6. 6

   Step 6: Add the entire ½ yellow onion, sliced into ringlets, to the chicken and sambal. Continue cooking gently and stirring for another 5 minutes, until the onion is cooked but retains some texture. Turn off the heat, remove the whole lemongrass stalks and serve in four portions.

   Cook onion in sambal chicken: another 5 minutes · 5 minUses Fried chicken coated in tamarind sambal · 0.5 yellow onion(s)