Opor Ayam (Indonesian Chicken in Coconut Gravy)

Indonesian chicken in coconut gravy, known as Opor Ayam, is a traditional Indonesian recipe for classic Java-style chicken curry cooked in coconut milk, flavored with spices, ginger, galangas, and lemongrass.  Yes, it is similar to curry, but it has lighter taste.  It is also a popular dish during Eid-ul-Fitr, where it's normally eaten with ketupat (boiled rice cake wrapped in a woven palm leaves) or lontong (boiled rice cake wrapped in banana leaves).

Indonesian Chicken in Coconut Gravy (Opor Ayam)

For recipe in Indonesian, click HERE

 Ingredients:

·         1 whole chicken (about 1 kg)  (or 2 large chicken breasts) cut into 8-10 pieces

·         3 fresh bay leaves

·         3 fresh kaffir lime leaves

·         1 ½ inch galangal, bruised

·         1 inch ginger, bruised

·         3 stalks of fresh lemongrass, bruised

·         3 ½ teaspoons salt

·         2 teaspoons sugar

·         ½ teaspoon ground pepper

·         800-1000 ml coconut milk, depends on how thick you want it to be

·         250 ml water

·         1 carrot, thinly sliced

·         1 large potato, dice into small pieces

·         2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Seasoning to be blended together

·         12 shallots

·         5 garlic cloves

·         5 pieces of candlenuts

·         1 inch turmeric

·         2 teaspoons coriander powder

·         1/8 teaspoon cumin

Directions:

1.       First, make the seasoning.  Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy (you can add up 2 tablespoon of water to make them smooth). Set aside.

2.       Rinse the chicken under cold running water and cut into 8-10 pieces. If using a boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into the bite size pieces.  Set aside.

3.       Heat the oil in a saucepan or soup pot over a medium-low heat. Saute the smooth paste, galangal, ginger, bay leaves, and lemongrass, stirring every 10 seconds to prevent sticking and burning until you can smell the fragrance about 5 minutes.

4.       Add the chicken, carrot, potatoes, water and ¾ coconut milk.  Raise the heat to medium. Stir well to combine, blending the paste with the liquids and bring to a low, steady simmer.  Add salt, pepper, and sugar.  Let the coconut milk simmer, stirring occasionally, until the fats fron the chicken and coconut milk hve risen to the surface and the chicken, carrot, and potatoes are tender and cooked through.  You may need to lower and raise the heat occasionally if the simmer becomes too aggressive.  Be careful not to allow the liquid to boil, the chicken will likely toughen and the coconut milk curdle.  Taste for salt and add more if necessary.

5.       Add the remaining ¼ coconut milk and allow it to heat through and begin to take in the flavors of the curry, about 2 minutes. This additional coconut milk enriches this rich dish even more.

6. Transfer the chicken and gravy to a low serving bowl.  You may remove the galangal, ginger, lemongrass, kaffir lime and bay leaves if you like, or leave them in the bowl to continue seasoning the dish.  Sprinkle with fried shallots for an extra flavor. Serve with warm steamed rice.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

·         1 ekor (sekitar 1 kg) ayam utuh, potong 8-10 bagian

·         3 lembar daun salam

·         3 lembar daun jeruk purut

·         2 cm lengkuas, memarkan

·         2 cm jahe, memarkan

·         3 batang sereh, memarkan

·         3 ½ sendok teh garam

·         ½ sendok teh merica bubuk

·         2 sendok teh gula pasir

·         800-1000 ml santan kental, tergantung seberapa kental yang Anda inginkan

·         200 ml air

·         1 buah wortel, iris tipis

·         1 buah kentang ukuran besar, potong dadu

·         2 sendok makan minyak untuk menumis

Bumbu halus:

·         12 butir bawang merah

·         5 siung bawang putih

·         5 butir kemiri, sangrai

·         2 cm kunyit

·         2 sendok teh ketumbar bubuk

·         1/8 sendok teh jintan

Cara:

1.       Buat bumbu halus.  Masukkan semua bahan ke dalam food processor atau blender dan hancurkan sampai halus (tambahkan 2 sendok makan air bila perlu).  Sisihkan.

2.       Cuci bersih dan potong ayam menjadi 8-10 bagian. Sisihkan.

3.       Panaskan minyak.  Tumis bumbu halus bersama lengkuas, jahe, sereh, daun jeruk, dan daun salam sampai wangi sekitar 5 menit.

4.       Tambahkan ayam, irisan wortel, potongan kentang, air, dan ¾ santan kental.  Besarkan api sambil terus diaduk agar santan tidak pecah.  Tambahkan garam, merica, dan gula. Aduk terus sampai ayam, wortel, dan kentang lunak dan matang. Bumbui lagi dengan garam bila perlu.

5.       Tuang sisa santan kental sambil terus diaduk sampai santan benar-benar meresap dan kuah mengental, sekitar 2 menit.

6.  Pindahkan ayam beserta kuahnya ke dalam mangkuk saji.  Buang lengkuas, jahe, sereh, daun jeruk dan daun salam atau biarkan tetap memperkuat rasa kuahnya.  Beri taburan bawang goreng.  Sajikan dengan nasi putih hangat.