Mark's Twice-cooked Sambal Roast Chicken

This is an adaptation from an Indonesian Recipe - Sudanese Styled Roast Chicken.

Reason for the adaptation: I was simply too lazy to rummage thru wet markets for the individual herbs.. well you do need some herbs but this adaptation does away with buying candlenuts, galangal, tumeric... and still gives you a similar flavor.

This is a great dish for dinner parties as it works as a mains and best of all, I can prepare this the night before, stuff it into the fridge and proceed with the final roasting step the next day.

What you need:

• Coconut milk - about a cup - available in cartons or tins in the supermart (or low fat milk if you're health conscious)
• 1 stick of lemongrass (optional)
  
• 3 teaspoons of minced garlic
• 3-4 table spoons of Nasi lemak sambal - locally (Singapore) you can get this in a jar off the supermart shelf. You can make your own if you've got the stamina. I happen to have some homemade version stashed away in the freezer. The sambal already has sugar, candlenuts, shrimp paste (belachan) and tamarind.... all ground in the correct proportion and fried... See how many steps you're saving here??? ;-)
  
• 2 tablespoons of Curry powder with water added to form a paste
• Salt to taste
• 1 chicken (1 to 1.5 kg)
• Light olive oil for frying
  

Optional spices: if you cook regularly like I do, you'd have these stashed in the freezer too

• 2 sticks cinnamon
• 4 cloves
• 1 star anise broken up

How its done:

Have the chicken cut into desirable sized pieces. Buy precut if you're lazy but its more economical to get whole and section it on your own.

If using, thinly slice the lemongrass (use white parts only) If you've got a blender, take a step further and blend it as well.

You will need a heavy pan large enough to properly fry all the chicken pieces. Preferably non-stick and with a lid... Makes life a whole lot easier, I can assure you.

Heat enough oil, then saute garlic (and optional spices if using) till aromatic. Add lemon grass, curry paste and saute till oil separates. Finally add the nasi lemak sambal, stir till combined.

Add chicken pieces to the pan and stir to coat meat with spice mix. In this step you need to stir fry till the chicken pieces are adequately seared all around (ie till no longer visibly pink) The searing ensures the meat does not lose its juices and become tough. Just keep stirring... you also do not want the spice mix to burn (because of the sugars from the sambal)

Once properly seared, add coconut (or low fat) milk, stir to combine, add salt to taste, bring to a boil and cover, keeping an eye on the pan to ensure it doesn't boil over. The chicken should be quite cooked after about 10 minutes.

Using a slotted spatula, remove chicken pieces from the pan. There should be some gravy left in the pan, and this you would rapid boil, stirring frequently, till reduced to a thick scant paste.

Coat the chicken pieces generously with the paste. At this stage, if your're pre-preparing, you may refrigerate and continue with the roasting the next evening.

Now, if you're cooking this for dinner on the same night, place chicken pieces on a baking pan lined with baking paper (makes cleaning easier) Try not to crowd the chicken on the pan as the pieces would then steam instead of roast.

Roast on the top rack of the oven at 250 deg C till the pieces are crispy. This takes about half an hour to 45 minutes (longer cooking time if the chicken has just come out of the fridge)

I often do not bother with turning the pieces halfway. This results on the top surface being crispy and the bottom portion moist but heck, my guests have never complained.

Once done, remove chicken pieces, arrrange on a plate and garnish with coriander.

You may use the pan drippings as a dipping sauce.

Happy trying.