Ayam Masak Merah (a Malay Red Chicken Curry)
Ayam masak merah recipe is a deliciously tangy and non spicy, Malay red chicken curry from Singapore and Malaysia.
Ingredients
For Marinating the Chicken
- 1 kg chicken portions (or use a whole chicken, chopped up)
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
Grind to a Paste
- 1 large onion
- 1 lemongrass
- 5 cm ginger
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 red chilli mild variety
Dry Spices
- 1 medium-sized cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 1 star anise
The Rest of the Ingredients
- 1 stalk lemongrass
- 1 large onion
- 60 ml vegetable oil
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 3 Tbsp concentrated tomato paste (may be called tomato purée in Asia)
- 3 Tbsp tomato ketchup
- 250 ml water
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken
- Rub the chicken with the turmeric and salt and set aside for about 15-20 minutes while you get everything else ready. Or, if you have the time, leave it to marinate for 1 hour. Be sure to cover it.1 kg chicken portions, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground turmeric
Paste
- Chop the onion, slice the bottom half of the lemongrass into rings, and slice the ginger for easier chopping.1 large onion, 1 lemongrass, 5 cm ginger
- Place everything into a chopper and chop to a fairly fine paste, adding 1-2 tablespoon of water if necessary. Set aside.2 cloves garlic, 1 red chilli
Additional Prep Work
- Cut to lemongrass about halfway up, and lose the top half. Bruise the lemongrass by pounding down on its base with the back of your knife. You can read more about how to use lemongrass here.1 stalk lemongrass
- Slice the large onion into rings and set aside.1 large onion
Let's brown the Chicken first
- Heat the oil on medium-high heat, in a large saucepan, with the sugar. Brown the chicken in batches. You only want to do this briefly, about a minute each side. We don't want to cook the chicken, just give it some colour.60 ml vegetable oil, 1 tsp white sugar
- When done on both sides, place the browned chicken on kitchen paper lined plates.
Let's cook the Ayam Masak Merah
- We'll use the same saucepan. Pour out most of the oil, leaving about 2 Tbsp still in the saucepan. On medium heat, fry the cinnamon, cloves and star anise for 30 seconds, don’t let them burn.1 medium-sized cinnamon stick, 3 cloves, 1 star anise
- Add the ground paste and lemongrass and fry for about 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Scrape the base of the pan to incorporate all the sticky bits from the chicken earlier.
- Add the tomato paste and ketchup and stir well.3 Tbsp concentrated tomato paste, 3 Tbsp tomato ketchup
- Add the chicken, stirring to coat the meat with all that delicious paste. Add the water, stir and let it come to a boil.250 ml water
- Lower the heat right down and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked, about 30-45 minutes, depending on size and part. Meat on the bone, drumsticks and legs are going to take longer than boneless breast meat.
- 5 minutes before the end of cooking time, add the sliced onion rings, stir and leave to simmer. If the curry is too dry for you, add a little water, perhaps no more than 125 ml (½ cup). You don't want to dilute the flavours in the curry.
- When the chicken is cooked, check the seasoning. Add more salt if you think it needs it.
Notes
Can be kept overnight, can also be frozen up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 364kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 22gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 602mgPotassium: 401mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 392IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 29mgIron: 2mg
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