ryusoff@wpi.wpi.edu (Raha Mohamad Yusoff Ali) (08/04/90)
This is a very typical Malaysian dish. I served it to a few American friends
and they seemed to like it very much. Now they enjoy cooking it and having it
for their meal.
CHICKEN IN COCONUT MILK
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (cut up into small pieces)
1 stick of lemon grass (you can get this at a Vietnamese/Oriental market)
a tiny bit of tumeric (approx. 1/8 of a teaspoon)
1/2 yellow onion
1 can of coconut milk (you can use fresh coconut milk but it's not worth
the trouble since the taste is not much different)
Jalapeno peppers (as many or as few as you want - I usually use the hottest
pepper I can find in the Vietnamese/Oriental market)
2 or 3 potatoes (cut up into 1/4's - optional)
Salt (to taste)
water (depending on how thick you want the sauce to be)
* Don't forget to wash what you can in the ingredients before cooking.
Preparation:
1. Remove the roots of the lemon grass (sometimes the roots are still attached
when you buy it). Cut it 3 to 4 inches FROM the roots. This is all you need.
Throw away the rest of the top part of the lemon grass. Chop coarsely the
3 to 4 inches part. Cut up the 1/2 of yellow onion and the jalapeno peppers.
You can remove the seeds if you want to but it's not necessary. In a blender
blend the coarsely chopped lemon grass, cut up onion and peppers together
with about 1/4 cup of water until really smooth.
2. Pour the blended ingredients into a pot and let it come to a boil. Add the
coconut milk, tumeric, salt and chicken and let cook over a small to medium heat. Half way through cooking, add the potatoes. Turn of heat when the meat is tender and when the potato is fully cooked. Poke the meat with a fork and if the blood comes out, the chicken is not done yet. Taste the sauce and add more salt if necessary.
3. Note: When cooking, the sauce should really cover ALMOST completely the
chicken. If not, add some water to the level. Cook with the lid ON.
Cooking time is approximately 45 to 60 minutes. Longer if you want
a more tender meat. Serve it with rice.
If you do try this recipe, please let me know how it turns out.
-----Rahayu-----