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Ayam percik
Grilled chicken in coconut sauce
Ayam percik: Kelantan chicken grilled and basted with spiced coconut sauce
Along the roads into Kota Bharu, and at every Kelantan Ramadan bazaar, chicken legs flattened between bamboo sticks sizzle over long charcoal troughs while the cook splashes them again and again with a red-gold coconut sauce. 'Percik' means splashed, and that basting builds a sticky, slightly charred, sweet-spicy crust over juicy meat. At home a hot grill, barbecue or griddle pan does it. Chef's tip: basting from the start burns the coconut sauce black before the chicken is cooked; grill until almost done, then baste in the last 10 minutes.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 4 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick)about 1.2 kg
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 3 garlic clovesgrated
- ¾ in fresh gingergrated
- 1 tsp salt
For the percik sauce
- 10 dried red chilliessoaked in hot water, seeded
- 6 shallots
- ¾ in fresh ginger
- 2 lemongrass stalkssliced
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 ¾ cups coconut milk
- 1 tbsp tamarind paste
- 2 tbsp palm sugarchopped
- ¾ tsp saltsecond measure
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Cut two deep slashes in each of 4 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick) and rub with 1 tsp ground turmeric, 3 garlic cloves, ¾ in fresh ginger and 1 tsp salt. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Step 2: Blend 10 dried red chillies, 6 shallots, 3 garlic cloves, ¾ in fresh ginger and 2 lemongrass stalks with a splash of water into a smooth paste.
Step 3: Heat 3 tbsp neutral oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry the paste for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until it darkens and the oil separates from it.
10 minStep 4: Stir in 1 ¾ cups coconut milk, 1 tbsp tamarind paste, 2 tbsp palm sugar and ¾ tsp salt and simmer over a low heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring often, until thick enough to coat a spoon. Set aside a third of the sauce, in a clean bowl, for serving.
15 minStep 5: Heat a grill, barbecue or ridged griddle to medium. Cook the chicken for 25–30 minutes, turning every 5 minutes, until golden and the thickest part reaches 165°F.
30 minStep 6: In the last 10 minutes, brush the chicken thickly with the basting sauce every couple of minutes, turning, until it is sticky and lightly charred at the edges.
10 minStep 7: Rest for 5 minutes, then serve with rice and the reserved sauce warmed through. Throw away any leftover basting sauce that touched the brush.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 610 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 41 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ayam percik take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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