Ayam masak merah

Serves 6 people

Ingredients

Chicken - half, cut into small pieces

Turmeric-salt mix - sold ready mixed

Garlic - 6 pips (siong), crush and slice

Red rose onion/shallot - 6 small bulbs, slice

Bombay onion - 1 big bulb, slice

Kaffir lime leaf (daun limau purut) - 1 piece

Lemon grass - 1 piece, cut 3 inches lengths and crush

Red tomato - 2 pieces, cut into wedges

Ground chili, non spicy (cili boh tak pedas) - 1 packet

Ground chili, spicy (cili boh pedas) - half packet

Palm sugar (nise, gula Melaka) - 2-3 small chunks (1 cm x 1 cm x 1 cm)

Soy sauce - use HABHAL salty soy sauce

Hot water - half cup

Method

1. Rub crushed and chopped garlic on chicken pieces. Then rub turmeric-salt mix on the chicken pieces. Fry the chicken pieces till lightly brown and fragrant. Remove fried chicken pieces to a bowl.
2. Fry red onions (both shallots and Bombay onions) till fragrant and light brown, but not burnt.
3. Add both ground chili (non spicy and spicy). Stir to fry and add hot water. Let chili-onion mixture cook to avoid mixture becoming stale easily upon storage.
4. Add fried chicken pieces. Stir to mix.
5. Add tomatoes.
6. Add 2-3 tiny chunks of coconut palm sugar (nise, gula Melaka).
7. Add a few dashes of salty soy sauce. Stir to mix.
8. Taste and adjust saltiness and spiciness.

Serving

Serve with freshly cooked hot rice.

Ayam masak merah