Chicken Rendang Nyonya-Style

Howdy ya’ll!

On the third post with regards to making sides for the dish, “Nasi Lemak”, I will be sharing with you this recipe Chicken Rendang Nyonya-Style and you can then add on to the ever-growing arsenal of sides for you to make that authentic Nasi Lemak!

So what is Chicken Rendang?

Rendang is traditionally an Indonesian dish. Through centuries of history, the dish has been adapted by local cooking styles and is thus no longer only found in Indonesia but also in neighboring countries like Malaysia and Singapore. Rendang is best served with coconut rice or plain steam rice due to its aromatic savoriness. The time taken to cook rendang is also longer than other curries as it thrives when cooked slowly.

Rendang can be made and served in different ways:

The Rendang paste consists of chilies, galangal, garlic, shallots, kerisik (toasted grated coconut) and sometimes other spices as well (varies with different recipes).

1. Wet / Dry – If you want the rendang with more gravy, add in some water or more coconut milk and allow to simmer until desired consistency.
2. Spicy / Non-Spicy – You may reduce the spiciness of the rendang by i) removing the membrane and seeds of the chilies, ii) adding lesser chilies and iii) adding more coconut milk
3. Use either chicken, mutton or beef – You may use chicken breast or thigh (best chicken part for rendang). You may also use mutton or beef base on your personal preference.

Rendang Hack: Use a slow cooker to cook this recipe.
Simply mix all the blended ingredients, meat, coconut milk and water into the slow cooker to cook for 6 hours. The final result is a succulent and tender chicken rendang dish.

So with all’s that said, let’s get to making this rendang!

Aromatic, coconutty & slightly spicy gravy that goes so well with rice!

INGREDIENTS

• 50 g Coconut (grated)
• 10 Chili peppers (fresh)
• 3 Lemongrass stalk(s)
• 4 cm Galangal   
• 2 Shallot(s)   
• 4 Garlic clove(s)
• 3 Tbsp Oil
• 450 g Chicken meat (best to use thigh; else you may also use breast)
• 150 ml Coconut milk
• 200 ml Water
• Salt
• 3 Kaffir lime leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a dry and clean pan, toast grated coconut over medium heat until golden brown. Remove from pan and transfer to a mortar and pestle. Pound grated coconut until oil is released.
2. Blend dried chilies, galangal, garlic, shallots and lemongrass stalks finely. Heat up a pan with oil over medium to high heat and cook the blended ingredients until fragrant.
3. Add toasted grated coconut. Mix evenly. Then, add chicken meat and stir-fry over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes.
4. After which, add coconut milk. For more gravy, add some water or more coconut milk. Add salt to taste. Cook over low-medium heat until gravy thickens.
5. Add kaffir lime leaves shortly before serving. Mix well and serve the rendang hot.

There you go! A very simple recipe that is pretty fuss-free and leaves you with a mouthwatering rendang with succulent chicken meat! Hope you enjoy this recipe and do eat it Coconut/steam plain rice for the best enjoyment!

Cheers!

Glen:)