Chicken Rendang Recipe (Resepi Rendang Ayam): The Staple Dish For Hari Raya

What’s Raya without some rendang? We couldn't and wouldn't imagine it! While this scrumptious dish is often seen as a complicated one to make due to the long list of ingredients, it's actually pretty easy to whip up! Thanks to blenders nowadays, the trickier parts of the recipe like making the spice paste will be a breeze. Let's dive into the recipe and get started ?

Ingredients (serves 5 - 6)

For the spice blend:

8 - 10 shallots

5 garlic cloves

1-inch ginger, cut into small pieces

¾ inch fresh turmeric (or use ½ tablespoon turmeric powder), cut into small pieces

¾ inch galangal (lengkuas), cut into small pieces

3 sticks of lemongrass (white part only), cut into small pieces

15 pieces dried chillies, cut into rough pieces, de-seeded, soaked in hot water until softened and drained.

Some water for blending

Other ingredients:

One whole chicken cut into pieces

3 sticks of lemongrass (white part only), bruised

250ml coconut cream

3 turmeric leaves (daun kunyit), finely shredded

200g toasted coconut paste (kerisik)

1 tablespoon palm sugar (gula melaka) (or alternatively, use regular sugar)

½ tablespoon sugar

1 ½ teaspoons salt

Oil for frying

Directions

Blend all the spice blend ingredients together until it becomes a rough paste.

Heat oil in a large wok or pan over medium heat (use enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan). Add the blended spice paste and stir-fry until fragrant and the colour darkens.

Add the 3 bruised sticks of lemongrass and chicken pieces. Mix well and let the chicken cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

Add coconut cream and mix well.

Add the palm sugar, sugar and salt. Mix until everything is well combined.

Bring to a boil, lower heat slightly and let simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring regularly to make sure that everything cooks evenly and the bottom doesn’t stick.