Ayam Goreng Mentega ~ Fried Chicken in Sweet Butter Sauce

Ayam goreng mentega or fried chicken in sweet butter sauce is one of the well-known dishes served in many Chinese restaurant in Indonesia.  The tasty secret of this dish is the mixture of 4 sauces (Worcestershire, soy sauce, Indonesian sweet soy sauce, and oyster sauce), cooked with butter instead of oil. Use only the original Indonesian sweet soy sauce or known as Kecap Manis to get an authentic taste.

In Indonesia, soy sauce is known as kecap (also ketjap), which is a catch-all term for fermented sauces. It’s used either within cooking process or as condiment. They are 3 varieties of Indonesian soy-based kecap.  (1) Kecap asin (salty soy sauce), which is very similar to Chinese light soy sauce, but usually somewhat thicker and has a stronger flavor.  (2) Kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), which has a thick, almost syrupy consistency and a unique, pronounced, sweet somewhat treacle-like flavor due to the generous addition of palm sugar.  (3) Kecap manis sedang (medium sweet soy sauce), which has less thick consistency, less sweet, and has a saltier taste than kecap manis.   The term kecap is also used to describe other non soy-based sauces, such as kecap ikan (fish sauce) and kecap inggris (Worcestershire sauce).

 

Indonesian Kecap Manis (courtesy of www.banggaindonesia.com)

Sweet soy sauce or kecap manis is probably the most commonly used and well-liked Indonesian food condiment.  It is an important sauce in Indonesian signature dishes, such as nasi goreng (fried rice), mie goreng (fried noodles), satay, and meat or chicken stew. When you see kecap in Indonesian recipes, or when someone asks for kecap in Indonesia, they will always mean kecap manis. The sauce can be found easily in Asian grocery stores.  However,  if you can’t find sweet soy sauce everywhere, you can use regular soy sauce and then add some palm sugar or dark muscovado sugar.

For health reasons, if you don’t want to fry the chicken, since there is already so much butter as in this recipe, you can spray the chicken pieces with a little olive oil and roasted them for about 35 minutes at 220°C. They tasted just as nice!

Ayam Goreng Mentega ~ Fried Chicken in Sweet Butter Sauce

For recipe in Indonesian, click HERE

Ingredient:

·         1 medium-sized chicken (whole or boneless) cut into small pieces

·         3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         ½ teaspoon ground pepper

·         1 teaspoon lime or lemon juice

·         Oil for frying (corn oil, rapeseed oil, peanut oil etc.)

The Sauce:

·         4 tablespoons butter

·         2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

·         1 tablespoons light soy sauce

·         6-7 tablespoons Indonesian sweet soy sauce (Kecap Manis)

·         1 tablespoon oyster sauce

·         1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine or dry sherry (optional)

·         2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

·         1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced

·         ¼ teaspoon ground pepper

·         Salt as per taste (I used only a sprinkle)

·         1 tablespoon of lime or lemon juice

Directions:

1.       Put  the chicken pieces to a bowl , add chopped garlic, ground pepper, salt, and lime juice.  Marinate in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours. I usually leave them overnight.

2.       Heat the oil, pat the chicken pieces dry and and fry chicken until they are golden, drain on kitchen paper and set to one side. For health reason, if you avoid frying, you could spray the chicken pieces with a little olive oil and roasted them for about 35 minutes at 220°C.

3.       Heat the butter. Sauté the garlic and onion for a a few minutes, then add the remaining sauce ingredients.

4.       Stir fry for a minute and then add chicken pieces to reheat.

5.       Serve with plain boiled rice, garnished with slices of lime.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

·         1 ekor ayam ukuran sedang (utuh atau tanpa tulang), potong kecil-kecil

·         3 siung bawang putih, cincang halus

·         1 sendok teh garam

·         ½ sendok teh merica bubuk

·         1 sendok teh air jeruk nipis/lemon

·         Minyak untuk menggoreng

Saus Mentega:

·         4 sendok makan mentega tawar

·         2 sendok makan kecap inggris

·         1 sendok makan kecap asin

·         6-7 sendok makan kecap manis

·         1 sendok makan saus tiram

·         1 sendok makan angciu atau dry sherry (optional)

·         2 siung bawang putih, cincang halus

·         1 buah bawang bombay, iris tipis memanjang

·         ¼ sendok teh merica bubuk

·         Garam untuk perisa (sesuai selera)

·         1 sendok makan air perasan jeruk nipis atau lemon

Cara:

1.       Lumuri ayam dengan bawang putih, garam, merica, dan air jeruk nipis. Masukkan ke dalam kulkas dan diamkan sedikitnya selama 2 jam. Bisa juga dibiarkan semalaman supaya bumbu lebih meresap.

2.       Goreng ayam dalam minyak yang sudah dipanaskan di atas api sedang sampai matang dan kecokelatan. Angkat dan tiriskan.  Untuk alasan kesehatan,  jika  Anda menghindari menggoreng, Anda bisa mengoles ayam dengan sedikit minyak zaitun dan memanggangnya dengan suhu  220°C selama 35 menit.

3.       Panaskan margarin. Tumis bawang bombay dan bawang putih sampai harum. Masukkan bahan-bahan saus lainnya. Aduk sampai kental.

4.       Masukkan ayam yang sudah digoreng. Masak sebentar sampai bumbu meresap.

5.       Sajikan dengan  nasi hangat.