This turned out so delicious, like restaurant or hawker quality – there’s so many flavors in this Malaysian dish. You can prep the coconut paste and base sauce ahead and keep in fridge. The ingredients in each step below can be prepared together.
Ingredients
Coconut Paste
- 4 tbsp dried shredded coconut
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
Base Sauce
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 inch ginger
- 1/2 inch galangal
- 8 cashew nuts
- 1 yellow onion (small)
- 1 red onion (small)
- 6 stalks lemongrass
- 1 cup water
Cooking
1st step
- 1 star anise
- 3 cardamom
- 4 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and cut into 2 inches length
2nd step
- 1.5 tsp chilli powder
- 4 tbsp Asian curry powder
- 1.5 tsp turmeric powder
3rd step
- 8 chicken thighs (skinless & bone in) at least 3lb
- 1 cup water
4th step
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp tamarind juice
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 16 kefir lime leaves, thinly sliced
Directions
Make the coconut paste (kerisik)
- On low to medium heat, dry fry the shredded coconut until a deep golden brown color. Do not burn!
- Transfer to a small food processor (important that it is small), add in coconut oil and blend until peanut butter consistency or paste like
The base sauce
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Put the garlic cloves, lemongrass, ginger, galangal, red onion, yellow onion, cashews and water into food processor . Blend into a fine paste.
Putting everything together
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In a large pot heat some oil on medium heat. Brown the chicken thighs in batches. Remove and set aside on a plate. Take pot off the heat.
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After the pot has cooled for a bit, over medium heat add in: star anise, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves and bruised lemongrass. Cook for a few minutes until they release their fragrances. Add in base sauce, then add curry powder, chili powder and turmeric powder. Mix everything together and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes until it thickens, stir frequently.
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Add in chicken and mix everything together. Add in water, give it a good stir. Bring to a simmer and cook on low heat for 25 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked, stirring occasionally.
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Add in brown sugar, salt, coconut paste, tamarind juice, coconut milk, kefir lime leaves and mix everything together. Bring to a simmer and cook for at least 30 minutes until the oil separates. It will probably still lookkind of soupy with lots of gravy. Turn heat off and let it sit for a while, it should thicken and look more like rendang.