Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to all my Muslim friends! To those who do not know, Hari Raya Aidilfitri also known as Hari Raya Puasa literally means Fasting Day of Celebration. This is because during the month before Hari Raya – the Ramadan month, it is compulsory for Muslims to fast from dawn to dusk. Hence, at the end of the month, they celebrate by gathering with family members and friends to feast together.
I’ve mentioned in my previous post that during the Ramadan month, many food bazaars will pop up all over the place, selling delicious food. Last time, one of my favourite and a must every time I visited the bazaars was Ayam Percik – a Malaysian East Coast specialty. It’s a Malay style chicken which is marinated in a spicy coconut gravy and traditionally BBQ-ed over charcoal. Yum!
This is a long overdue post. During the Ramadan month, Krystal was tempting me for days with photos of Ramadan bazaars posted in various blogs, making my mouth water and craving getting stronger daily. I couldn’t control my craving any longer, hence decided to create my own Ayam Percik. Our friends (Duy and Jeeuk) invited us over to his place for dinner – but instead of them cooking, I was to cook there. Since Jeeuk missed nasi lemak a lot, I made sambal and served it with coconut rice.
Ingredients:
- Chicken Maryland
- 2 Teaspoons Tamarind Pulp
- Lemon Grass,(bruised)
- 1 Cup Water
- 1 Cup Thick Coconut Milk
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Sugar
- Salt to Taste
Marinade:
- Salt
- Sugar
- Chili Powder
- Turmeric Powder
Spice Paste:
- Candlenuts
- Garlic
- Dried Chillies, soaked in Hot Water
- Red Chillies
- Ginger
- Shallots
Method:
- Mix the marinade, combine with the chicken and season overnight.
- Chop the spice paste ingredients and blend finely.
- Heat Oil in a frying-pan and fry the spice paste, tamarind and lemon grass for 5 minutes. Add water and cook for another 3 minutes. Add coconut Milk, sugar and salt and simmer over a medium fire for 5 minutes.
- Barbecue the chicken over a low charcoal fire or under a grill, basting frequently with the gravy, until the chicken is cooked.
any idea where i can get ayam percik in singapore ??
Hi Chiko,
Sorry, can’t help you there! You should probably ask the locals there.
Cheers!
Hi Pearlyn.
Your ayam percik way too charred la & not enough gravy to go with it !
Yea I totally agree with you! Sadly when it’s done in an oven, it’s nothing in comparison to doing it over charcoal.
After we loved this dish at the Kota Bharu pasar malam on our honeymoon nearly 2 years ago — and nowhere else in Malaysia — we searched for a recipe so we could make it at home. A friend found one in an MAS cookbook. It was very good … the chicken is first half-cooked in the sauce, then finished on the grill with basting etc. Delicious!!
… typo: our honeymoon was nearly 20 years ago.