Red sauce chicken (ayam masak merah)

Ayam masak merah is a traditional Malaysian dish consisting of chicken pieces cooked in a spicy tomato sauce that is sweet and tangy. The dish is garnished with fried shallots and lime for extra texture and flavour.

• serves

  6

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  50 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

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Ingredients

• 6 chicken marylands
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt, plus extra to season
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 piece cinnamon or cassia
• 2 star anise
• 2 stalks lemongrass
• 700 ml tomato passata
• ¼ cup tomato sauce (ketchup)
• 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 large brown onion, cut into 1 cm rings
• 1 tsp sugar, or to taste
• 1 tbsp kecap manis
• fried shallots, to serve
• lime wedges, to serve

Rempah

• 10 dried chillies, soaked in hot water and drained
• 1 brown onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled
• 4 cm x 3 cm ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

Marinating time: 30 minutes—2 hours

Instructions

1. Using a sharp knife, cut the chicken marylands through the joint to separate the thigh and drumstick.
2. In a large bowl, combine the chicken with turmeric and salt and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to a few hours.
3. Heat a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. Fry the chicken in batches until browned, not yet cooked through. Remove the chicken pieces to a tray and set aside.
4. Combine the ingredients for the rempah and blend to a smooth paste in blender and add the paste to the heavy-based saucepan.
5. Fry the rempah over low-medium heat for 10 minutes, or until fragrant and the oil starts to separate. Add the cinnamon, star anise and lemongrass and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the passata and tomato sauce. Bring to the simmer and cook for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.
6. Return the chicken to the pan with the sauce and partially cover the pan. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the gravy is thick. Stir through the tomato wedges, onion, sugar and kecap manis and cook for a further 5 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
7. Serve the ayam masak merah topped with fried shallots, with lime wedges on the side.

Photography by Kitti Gould.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Flavour Base

Watch The Full Episode Here

G

Watch The Full Episode Here

G