Ayam Percik - My Version Is Flavourful Oven-Roasted Chicken

Ayam Percik is a popular barbecue chicken dish in Malaysia. The chicken is typically basted with a spicy coconut based gravy. Ayam means chicken in Malay and percik means to splash or sprinkle. Generally, it is taken to mean 'baste'. That's what this recipe calls for - frequent basting.

Roll your sleeves up for this one. It's going to take some work and patience but I assure you it's worth the trouble.

I didn't just decide to make this out of the blue. It came about out of a small fun activity on our Facebook cooking group ~ a decision to cook a local dish to commemorate Malaysia's Independence Day. I chose this recipe because I felt it reflected our love for flavourful food. Check out our cooking group to see some of the dishes that our members whipped up for the special occasion.

For now, feast your eyes on this oven-roasted masterpiece ..ahem...and yes, o-v-e-n because it was more convenient. But if you're a stickler for doing it right, then this should go on a charcoal grill.

Ayam Percik

It's not as spicy as it looks. I did not use a lot of chili for this recipe. Taste-wise, very rich because of the many layers of flavour. This is chicken with a generous amount of gravy roasted on. It was a real treat tucking into this one. I wish I made more! Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:
- 2 pcs chicken whole leg
- 1 stalk lemongrass (Discard dry outer layer and trim off top and bottom. Smash)
- 1 tsp tamarind paste
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- ½ tsp brown sugar
- Salt to taste
- Water
- Cooking oil

Ingredients A: To marinate
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt

Ingredients B: To blend
- 4 red chili (Roughly chopped)
- 1 medium onion (Roughly chopped)
- 2 cloves garlic (Chopped)
- 1 thumb ginger (Chopped)
- ½ thumb turmeric (Chopped)
- 2 pcs candlenut (Smashed)
- 2 stalks lemongrass (Discard dry outer layer and trim off top and bottom. Then, slice.)

Top : Marinate. Middle: Ingredients. Bottom: Blend.

How-to:
1) Marinate chicken with ingredients A for two hours.

2) After two hours, blend ingredients B (I added a bit of water to get things going).

3) Preheat oven. Keep a roasting tray with grill on hand.

4) Heat oil in pan. Add lemongrass, blended ingredients and tamarind paste. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes until it thickens slightly.

5) Add coconut milk and season with brown sugar and salt, to taste. Simmer for a few minutes until the gravy thickens a little.

6) Lower the heat. Add marinated chicken legs, coat quickly with gravy and remove. Place the chicken on the roasting tray.

7) Cook the remaining gravy for awhile longer. Switch the stove fire off. Set aside half of the gravy for basting and half for serving.

8) Roast chicken at 190C in the pre-heated oven for an hour or more (until cooked), basting frequently with the gravy. I basted four times and turned the chicken over twice.

9) Once done, serve the chicken with rice and the remainder of the gravy.

Blend ingredients B.

Cook blended ingredients.

Coat the chicken quickly.

Roasting halfway. Time to baste!

Turn over again and baste.

Ayam percik ready to be eaten with rice.

Ayam Percik ~ A Malaysian favourite.

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Updated: 17/09/13

 

Because this dish is a first for me (..I did it my wayYy), I've submitted this post to Our Growing Edge, a monthly blogging event by Bunny.Eats.Design aimed at connecting food bloggers and inspiring us to try new things.

This month's event is hosted by Marnelli from Sweets & Brains. Check out her amazing blog.

I'd also like to thank Abbe from Abbe's Cooking Antics! for sharing this wonderful event with me (ages ago) and for encouraging my cooking journey. A ton of hugs is headed her way.