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Malaysian-Style Grilled Lemon Grass Chicken (Ayam Percik)
In her kitchen in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, home cook Annie Zainal Abidin taught us her method for making ayam percik, or chicken seasoned with turmeric and lemon grass and finished with a subtly tangy-sweet but rich coconut sauce. We learned there are regional versions of the dish and, to boot, many ways to approach the cooking, including two-step methods such as sear-then-roast or simmer-then-fry. We were fans of Abidin’s simple, straightforward, one-step oven-only technique, so we adapted it for an outdoor grill. Cooking over flames imparts delicious charred, smoky notes to the bone-in chicken parts, which have been smeared with an aromatic paste. We reserve some of that paste for use as the foundation of the sauce that is served with the chicken. For convenience or if you’re not ready to grill after the chicken is seasoned and the sauce is made, the parts can be covered and refrigerated for a few hours, and the sauce can be cooled and refrigerated. Let the chicken stand at room temperature while you prepare the grill so it isn’t cold when it goes onto the grill, and give the sauce a couple extra minutes to rewarm while the chicken rests after cooking. Steamed jasmine rice is an excellent accompaniment.
4
Servings
Don’t use coconut milk, as it is too lean for this recipe. Make sure to purchase coconut cream, which contains more fat, but don’t mistakenly choose cream of coconut, which is sweetened and used mainly in cocktails.
1¾ hours
Ingredients
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2
guajillo chilies, stemmed, seeded and torn into pieces
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Boiling water, for soaking the chilies
Directions
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01Place the chilies in a small bowl and add boiling water to cover. Let stand until the chilies soften, 15 to 20 minutes, then drain. In a blender, combine the chilies, shallots, garlic, ginger, lemon grass, turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon white pepper and 1 cup of the coconut cream. Process until smooth, about 1 minute. Measure 1 cup of the paste into a large bowl and add the chicken. Rub the paste into the pieces; set aside at room temperature while you make the sauce and prepare the grill.
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