Opor Ayam // Chicken cooked in coconut sauce

Some people call this dish as Indonesian chicken curry which is "not". According me Indonesian chicken curry is called Gulai (gule) Ayam. They both are almost similar, except the gulai (gule) ayam has more spices such as cardammon, cloves and nutmeg... in fact, it contains almost all spices in the ingredients. I've posted gulai ayam previously, so now you have a chance to try cooking and comparing both of them. Trust me, they're both delicious... >_<

But Indonesian cuisine is very rich and created by people throughout Indonesian islands. It's hard to find similar recipes across the country. The food would have the same name, but the ingredients quite vary and sometimes depends on its location and natural resources, not to mention influenced by India, the Middle East, China, and Europe. So is with this opor ayam dish, if you're googling, you'll find hundreds varieties of recipes and will cause you headache. It happened to me too when I started learning cooking. Don't worry, at the end you'll find the best recipe that suits you the most. Bon appétit...

Opor Ayam

Ingredients:
1 kg chicken, cut in pieces
2 salam leaves
1 stick lemon grass
1 cm fresh galangga (laos)
4 cm cinnamon stick
750 cc coconut milk

Fine grinded:
10 small shallots
4 cloves garlic
1 tbs coriander
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 cm fresh ginger
2 cm fresh curcuma (1 tsp curcuma powder)
salt & pepper to taste


Directions:
- Fried the chicken in little oil until both side colored, set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan, add grinded ingredients, salam leaves, lemon grass, laos and cinnamon. Stir fry until fragrant.
- Add the coconut milk and chicken. Season with salt & pepper.
- Cook until the chicken done.

Quiche

Quiche again.. again... and again :-p I never get bored with this. It's easy to make, just using some leftovers, some eggs and the ready to use pastry, put it in the oven.. and done! I don't have to eat it straight away after done from the oven, usually I keep it for the day after, the day when I go to the gym. So when I'm back... quickly take a shower.. feeling fresh, tired and hungry.. voilà, there is quiche awaiting for me to be eaten, with a bit salad and few drops chilli sauce.. yummieeee!!!

Quiche

Ingredients:
Ready-to-use pastry
Steamed/blanched broccoli
Blanched leek
Leftover boiled chicken, shredded
2 eggs, lightly beaten
200 ml cream
nutmeg, salt, pepper to season
100 gr grated cheese


Directions:
1. Preheated the oven to 200°c. Prepare and bake the pastry according to pastry's directions in the packaging.

2. Mix the cream, eggs, salt & pepper in a container.

3. Scatter the vegetables, chicken and grated cheese on the bottom of the pastry case.

4. Pour the cream mixture and scatter the grated cheese on top.

5. Bake for about 15-25 minutes or until the filling solid. Remove from the oven and cool for about 5 minutes. Serve hot or cold with mix salads.

Botok Ayam // Chicken Wrapped In Banana Leaves

Botok Ayam
(source: Menu Sehari-hari Yasa Boga)

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast fillet, cut in cubes
100 ml thick coconut milk
5 salam leaves
chillies as needed
salt

Blend in food processor:
3 red chillies
2 tsp chopped laos
1 clove garlic
8 small red onions or 2 large sjallots
1 tsp chopped turmeric (I use the powder)
5 candlenuts
1 tsp chopped kencur (I eliminate this)
1 tbsp sliced lemongrass
1 tbsp sugar

Directions:
1. Fry the blended spices until fragrant with 3 eatspoons oil. Remove from the fire.

2. Mix the chicken, coconut milk, chillies, salt and spices in a bowl.

3. Take a banana leaf, give 2-3 bay leaves and the chicken spices. Wrap and steam until cooked, around 20 minutes.

Bubur Ayam // Chicken Porridge

Bubur is a favourite breakfast food, and many food vendors pass through the streets at dawn to serve it at residences, while calling "bubur". A popular version is "bubur ayam", which is porridge with chicken meat. In contrast to many other Indonesian dishes, it is not spicy.


I just found out from wikipedia that bubur is also called "congee".... well, I never knew it before..

Bubur can be made in a pot or in a rice cooker. Some rice cookers even have a "congee/bubur/porridge" setting, allowing the user to cook their breakfast congee overnight.

Besides functioning as an everyday meal, porridge is considered to be food therapy for the unwell. Ingredients can be determined by their supposed therapeutic value as well as flavor.

More information about congee/bubur/porridge please click here.

Bubur Ayam // Chicken Porridge
(source: Kumpulan Resep Sedap Khusus Pemula)

Ingredients:
200 gr rice
2 eatspoons sesame oil
1/2 chicken
1 eatspoon salt
2 litres water

Complements:
Cakwe, slicely cut
spring onions, finely chopped
celery, finely chopped
kecap asin (salty dark soy sauce)


Directions:

1. Wash rice until clean, enter in the pot. Add sesame oil, mix thoroughly.

2. Enter the chicken, salt and water. Let them boiling and stirring occasionally.

3. Remove the chicken from the pot, then fried and afterwards shredded in small pieces. Put aside.

4. Stir the porridge again and cook again until the porridge becomes thick.

5. Pour the porridge in the bowl, sprinkle with the complements and shredded chicken.

Chicken In Spicy Tomato Sauce

1/2 kg chicken, cut in pieces
3 tablesps tomato ketchup
1 tablesp fish sauce
50 ml water

Blend:
2 tablesps red chillies
1 tablesp red onion
1 teasp ginger
1 tablesp garlic
1 tablesp salt

Directions:
1. Rub the chicken with salt until evenly mixed. Leave for some time to percolate.
2. Roast the chicken up to 1/2 cooked and the color become brown, set aside.
3. Stir fry the spices until fragrant, then pour in the tomato sauce, fish sauce and chicken, mix all evenly.
4. Add the water, then let all cook until the flavor infiltrate.

Ayam Panggang Opor (Grilled Chicken)

Basically this grilled chicken is the leftover I have from opor ayam (translated: chicken in coconut gravy). Because me and the family don't really like to eat twice the same, so the leftover chicken I grill it in the oven or if it's summer at the barbeque grill... so safe the planet, nothing to be thrown away... and it's delicious too.. :o))

Opor Ayam (Chicken in coconut gravy)
Ingredients:
1 chicken, cut in pieces
250 ml coconut milk
250 ml water
2 tablesps sugar

Bumbu:
5 red onions
2 cloves garlic
2 teasps coriander
1/2 teasp jinten (cumin seeds)
3 kemiri nuts
1 teasp kunyit (turmeric)
1/2 teasp asam jawa (tamarind pulp mix with a little bit water)
salt

Directions:
1. Blend all the "bumbu" ingredients in a blender to became a thick paste.

2. Heat the oil in the pan/wok and stir fry the paste in hot oil until fragrant.

3. Add with pieces of chicken and cook until colored. Add sugar, salt and water. Simmer until the chicken half cooked.

4. Add the coconut milk, stir well and let it cook again until chicken done and the gravy is a bit thick. Until here, the chicken can be served as opor ayam.

5. Grilled ayam opor.
Put pieces of chicken on the tray, pour with a bit gravy, then grill both sides until dry and brown. Serve with salads.

Singapore Noodles

If you're googling looking for this dish, you'll find many recipes circling on the air. They all look so delicious but sometimes I find the ingredients are a little bit too complicated. In my opinion cooking doesn't have to be so difficult, the simple the ingredients are, the most tasty and great result you'll achieve, otherwise the taste is just too overwhelming especially with herbs and spices. But yeah, who the hell I am, telling people what to do...:o))... (**please don't get offended, just ignore what I just said.. yeah I'm an annoying person).

Then I found a cooking book from library and saw this recipe, so I went to try making it. The result was really great, it tasted just like I wanted it i.e. not too spicy and mild taste from the spices. You can really taste the mixture of Chinese and Indian food in this dish.

Singapore Noodles
adapted from 'Het Complete Wok Kookboek"

Ingredients:
400 gr dry ricenoodles, soak in hot water until become soft, drained
250 Boneless chicken, cut in thin slices
Carrot, cut in thin slices
Chinese cabbage
Leek, cut in thin slices
2 garlics, crushed
2 cm ginger, grated
4 tablespoons oyster sauce
4 tablespoons soya sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder

Methods:
1. Heat the oil in the wok.
2. Fry the garlic and ginger until fragrant.
3. Add the chicken in the wok and stir fry until the chicken colored.
4. Add the carrot and leek in the wok, stir fry until the vegetables become softer.
5. Add the curry powder, oyster sauce and soya sauce, if too dry, add with a bit water. Stir fry all together.
6. Add the drained-ricenoodles in the wok, mix all thoroughly. Ready to serve.

Chicken Panang Curry With Noodles

Recently my friend gave me a curry paste product I should try. At first I wasn't really convinced because I had few bad experiences using instant products, but if someone gave you something it's impolite to refuse, right?. Ok, I took her gift. Few days later, my curiousity won, so I tried the paste into my dish. The result was amazing, it was a mild and sweet curry dish and was done in 20 minutes. An absolute must try product for lazy person like me who don't really like blending the curry paste from fresh ingredients. The product itself is quite wellknown and easy to find in any Asian shops. If you want to make fresh panang curry paste yourself, you can try the recipe from Real Thai Recipes.

I think once you have the curry paste, you can create any curry dish you want and combine with any vegetables or ingredients you like.

Ingredients:
1 double boneless chicken, cut in cubes
1 onion, slices
2 carrots, slices
2 boiled potatoes, cut in big cubes
2 tablespoons panang curry paste
Coriander leafs
1 cube chicken broth
250 ml coconut milk
100 ml water
Noodles, soak in hot water, drained


Methods:
1. Heat the oil in the pan. Add the onions, fry until onions soft then added with panang curry. Stir fry until all blended.
2. Add the chicken in the pan, stir fry until the chicken colored.
3. Add the carrots, water and chicken broth. Let it boiled until the chicken and carrots cooked.
4. Add the coconut milk, stir thoroughly and leave it boiled. Once a while stirring.
5. Last one, add the potatoes cubes in the pan then garnish with coriander leafs.
6. Serve with noodles but off-course the curry dish fits perfectly with steamed rice too.

Ayam Panggang Klaten (Indoesian Grilled Chicken)

Our favorite chicken dish. It's slightly complicated with the ingredients, but once you know all the ingredients, you'll love this dish and repeatedly making it for the whole family.
You can already prepare the chicken in advance and grill it short before dining time.

Ingredients:
1 chicken, cut in pieces
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon jinten / cumin
8 small red onions/ 4 big red onions
2 garlics
5 kemiri nuts
1 cm ginger
2 cm curcuma
2 cm laos / galanga
1 tbsp palm sugar
1 tsp tamarind
salt
2 salam leafs
2 lime leafs
1 lemon grass
500 ml santan

Directions:
1. Crush all together into paste: ground coriander, ground pepper, cumin, onions, garlics, kemiri nuts, ginger, curcuma, galanga, palm sugar, tamarind and salt.

2. Heat vegetable oil in the pan, then add the spices paste, lemon grass, salam- and lime leafs, keep stiring until fragrant.

3. Add the chicken in the pan, cook until the chicken starts to colour.

4. Add the santan, and cook until the santan boiled then lower the fire. Cook until the sauce thickened.

5. Remove the chicken, pour with the sauce then grill in the oven grill or barbeque.

Gulai Ayam (Indonesian Spiced Chicken)

This chicken dish I made for our Lebaran dinner, accompanied by nasi kebuli and acar.

Ingredients:
1 chicken, cut into small pieces
750 ml coconut milk
2-3 esps dessicated coconut, roasted, pounded
1 lemon grass/sereh, bruised
3 lime leaves/daun jeruk
1 esp tamarind juice
1/2 nutmeg, bruised
1-2 cardamoms, bruised
3 cloves
3 cm cinnamons

Spices paste:
8 red chillies
2 tsps ground coriander, roasted
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, roasted
1/2 tsp ground pepper
3 garlics
7 red onions
1 tsp chopped ginger/jahe
1 tsp curcuma/kunyit
2 cm galanga/laos


Directions:
1. Heat the oil in the pan. Fry the spices paste, sereh, lime leaves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom until fragrant.
2. Add the chicken and dessicated coconut in the pan, stir well until chicken colored.
3. The pour the coconut milk and tamarind juice.
4. Cook until the chicken is tender and the gravy becomes thick.

Wrapped Fried Chicken In Pandan Leaf

I made this dish when friends of my hubby visited us. I've never made this before, but always wanted to try it. And the result was great. Nothing would go wrong with this recipe.. so simple to make.

Ingredients:
500 gr boneless chicken or chicken wings
2 eatsps coriander leafs, fine chopped
3 garlics, fine chopped
1 eatsp kecap asin (light soy sauce)
1 eatsp oyster sauce
1 eatsp sesame oil
Pandan leafs as needed

Directions:
1. Marinate the chicken with all ingredients. Leave it at least 15 minutes or whole night.
2. Wrap in pandan leafs.
3. Fry until golden brown and cooked.
4. Serve it hot or cold with sweet sour sauce from the bottle.

Simple Chicken Curry

Back to old days when I couldn't cook very well. At that time I always copied easy and simple recipes for daily cooking. Amongst other is this chicken curry. I don't remember anymore where did I get this recipe because I found this recipe again in my old note book which is my biggest treasure at home after my children. Simple recipe like this one is never ended, if you run out of ideas or lazy to cook, just take a simple way like cooking this simple chicken curry.

Ingredients:
1 boneless chicken
100 gr potatoes
100 gr bean sprout
100 gr carrots
1 onion (3 small red onions)
1 bay leaf (salam leaf)
1/2 - 1 eatsps curry powder
1/2 cup cocomilk
salt, pepper as needed
red chillies or sambal ulek from the jar as needed (as additive if you like more spicy and the curry becomes red)Directions:
- Cut the chicken in small pieces.
- Stir fry onions, add with salam leaf and chillies (sambal).
- Add in chicken, stir the chicken until colored.
- Add the vegetables. Season with salt & pepper. Add water as needed and let it cook until 1/2 done.
- Add the curry powder, stir thoroughly.
- When the curry fragrant starting overwhelm the whole kitchen, pour in the cocomilk. Cook until done.
- Serve with rice.

Spicy Chicken Balls

This is an easy snack when you have unexpected friends visiting you. Or if you have party at home and children will love it too. You just have to remove the chillies. Surely, it's always a bless if you got people coming to visit you, because most of the time they bring joys or could also bring a fortune. Nobody knows.

Ingredients:
250 gr chopped-chicken
2 garlics, crushed
1 sereh, fine-chopped
1 red chilli
1 spring onion, fine-chopped
1 eetspoon brown sugar
1 eetspoon fish sauce (nam pla~thais sauce or oyster sauce)
1 egg, loose-whisked
salt & black peper

Sauce: Mix together
50 cl rice-vinegar (or substitute wih 50 cl hot water + 1-2 eetspoon vinegar)
2 red spanish peper, fine sliced
1 eetspoon fish sauce
1 spring onion, fine-chopped
1 eetspoon brown sugar

Directions:
1. Mix all the ingredients for the balls.
2. Make a chicken ball from 1-2 eetspoon mixture.
3. Put the balls in the fridge for about 1/2 hour so they become firm.
4. Fry in the hot oil until golden brown.
5. Serve the chicken balls warm with the sauce.