If there’s one thing we can’t wait for Hari Raya- it’s rendang! The creamy, spicy and tender chicken pairs perfectly with the coconut laden lemang. Now, we know you might swear by your mum’s, grandmother’s, your next-door neighbour aunty’s or whoever’s rendang it may be.
Either way, why not try to start making your own rendang so that instead of waiting once a year, you can have it any time you want! Here’s a simple yet delicious chicken rendang recipe for you.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken (ask your butcher to cut the bird to 16 pieces)
- 1/3 cup cooking oil
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- 3 star anise
- 3 cardamom pods
- 1 lemongrass (pounded and cut into strips)
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- 5 kaffir lime leaves (lightly pounded)
- 5 tablespoons toasted grated coconut (kerisik)
- Salt to taste
- Spice Paste:
- 6 shallots
- 1- inch galangal
- 3 stalks lemongrass
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1- inch piece ginger, peeled
- 10 dried chillies
Directions:
- Blend all the ingredients for the spice paste. Add a little water to make the blending easier. Stop once a smooth paste is formed.
- In a large wok, over medium heat pour in the oil and add in the spice paste cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamom pods and stir-fry them until the oil separates from the mix. This should take about 10 minutes.
- Add in the chicken and lemongrass. Stir well until all pieces of the chicken are covered with the paste.
- Add the coconut milk, water, and simmer on medium heat, stirring at 10-minute intervals for 40 minutes.
- Add the kaffir lime leaves and toasted coconut. Stir to blend well with the chicken. Lower the heat to low, cover the lid, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Turn off the heat once the chicken is tender and the liquid has dried up. Salt to taste.
Rendang Recipe
We suggest you use the entire chicken because of the natural fat and flavours that come from the whole bird. If you’re looking for a leaner alternative, add in only chicken breasts. That said, you can change up the protein in this recipe to anything you’d like.
If you would like to understand a little more backstory of this unique traditional dish, click here to find out.
On the other hand, we know this may seem like an advanced recipe for most. If you’re feeling a little intimidated, worry not! Head on over to the foodpanda app and have your favourite dishes delivered to your doorstep!