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Indonesia, Asia · Ayam Goreng (Indonesian Fried Chicken)

Ayam Goreng Lengkuas (Galangal-Crumb Fried Chicken)

Chicken simmered in coconut water with a heap of grated galangal, air-dried overnight and fried crisp, served under golden galangal crumbs with sambal bawang.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time1 h 25 min
Air-drying in the fridge+ 2 h
DifficultyHard
About servingsRaw chicken: wash hands, boards and knives straight after handling, and cook it until the thickest part reaches 75 °C and the juices run clear.

Method

  1. Roughly chop the shallots, garlic and candlenuts and blend them with the turmeric, coriander and a splash of the coconut water to a smooth paste.

    Add in this stepShallots (spice paste) 50 gGarlic cloves (spice paste) 3Candlenuts (or macadamia nuts) 3Ground turmeric 1 tspGround coriander 1 tspCoconut water (unsweetened) 25 ml

  2. Peel the galangal and grate it on the coarse side of a box grater. Put the slashed chicken in a 20 cm pot with the paste, grated galangal, bruised lemongrass, salam and lime leaves, salt, palm sugar and the rest of the coconut water, and toss to coat. Bring to the boil over high heat, cover, turn down to medium-low heat and cook for , turning once. Uncover and keep cooking, stirring, until the liquid is completely gone and the galangal paste clings moistly to the chicken. The juices by the bone must run clear.

    Add in this stepBone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks 600 gFresh galangal (including for the crumbs) 100 gLemongrass stalks 1Indonesian bay leaves (daun salam) or bay leaves 3Makrut lime leaves 3Salt 1¼ tspPalm sugar 5 gCoconut water (unsweetened) 225 ml

    high heat→medium-low heat

  3. Lift the chicken onto a rack. Pick the lemongrass and leaves out of the galangal mixture left in the pot and scrape it into a bowl; this becomes the crumbs. Once both have cooled, refrigerate the chicken uncovered for at least . Left overnight, the skin fries far crisper.

  4. Pour at least 3 cm of oil into a dry 22 cm wok and heat over medium-high heat to 170 °C. Don't fill it more than halfway, and never leave hot oil unattended.

    Add in this stepNeutral oil for deep-frying 700 ml

    medium-high heat

  5. Slide the chicken in gently from the edge and fry in 1 batch(es) over medium heat for each, until deep reddish-brown and crisp-skinned. Lift onto the rack.

    medium heat

  6. Turn the oil down to medium-low heat. Press the galangal mixture with kitchen paper to remove moisture, then scatter it into the oil and fry for , stirring with a spider, until golden and the bubbling calms. Lift it out at once and drain; it goes from golden to burnt in seconds, so don't wait for it to darken. It crisps further as it cools.

    medium-low heat

  7. Sambal bawang: coarsely pound the chillies, garlic, shallots and salt in a mortar and put them in a heatproof bowl. Heat the sambal oil in a small pan over medium heat for until it shimmers, then carefully pour it over so it sizzles. Keep your face back, as it can spit.

    Add in this stepBird's eye chillies (sambal) 5Garlic cloves (sambal) 2Shallots (sambal) 25 gSalt (sambal) ¼ tspOil (sambal) 30 ml

    medium heat

  8. Pile the chicken on a plate, heap the galangal crumbs over the top and serve with the sambal bawang and lime wedges. The crumbs are also wonderful sprinkled over rice.

    Add in this stepLime 1

Cook's tip

Squeeze the galangal mixture dry and fry it on medium-low heat, or the crumbs turn bitter. Ginger can stand in for galangal, but the flavour will be hotter and flatter. Keep leftover crumbs airtight and eat within two days.

Cooking it at camp

Do the simmering, drying and crumb-frying at home; pack the crumbs in an airtight tub and the chicken in the cooler (below 5 °C). At camp, shallow-fry in 1.5 cm of oil in a deep pan for 3 to 4 minutes per side, and bring the sambal ready-made in a jar.