Roast Chicken

I received emails & also phone calls requested me to update this blog. I know... It is going very slow. I do have a few other recipes to share with pictures in my document folder but you know sometimes, you just don't feel like it. Moreover, I spent rather too much time completing my travelogue which is taking almost forever!

Now the recipe I'm sharing is very simple. A friend is kind enough to share her secret. This Roast Chicken is simply out of the world. It is moist in the inside unlike other roast chicken which is dry & tasteless. The blended flavour tantalises your taste buds.

First is of course to clean a whole chicken & dry it with a paper towel. Marinate with butter, salt, chicken seasoning, rosemary, basil, thyme, white pepper & black pepper. Leave overnight in the fridge.

Next, add in some clean potatoes & carrots. Poke the potatoes & carrots with a fork. The chicken too especially on the thigh & breast.

Before this, I used the grill function in my conventional-microwave oven to roast a whole chicken. The tip given by friend is to use the whole chicken function. Set the weight & press start. I use the Panasonic brand. I'm sure other brands do have such function too.

I do not turn the chicken as instructed by the oven. Instead, use the same function again after turning the chicken. Once completed, I turn the chicken once more & put it back in the oven but using the grill function this time. This is merely to make the chicken looks brownish. 10 minutes will do. More or less it takes close to an hour of cooking time.

Lastly, serve on the dining table. I usually put in some boiled beans on top. Besides adding more colour to the meal, the beans are amongst the favourite vegetable in my household.

Roast Chicken.

Kari Ayam

I love chicken. No matter how it is cooked, I will savour with delight. Curry however does not really agree to my tongue but when chicken is in the picture, I give in. This is my Kari Ayam recipe, exactly how my mother prepares. Hope you will enjoy this as much as I do.

These are the ingredients for sauteeing . 3-4 cloves of shallots (sliced), 2-3 cloves of garlic(sliced), an inch of ginger (sliced), 3 lightly pounded lemon grass, half - 1 cinnamon stick, 1-2 star anise & 2-3 cardamons.

Sautee all the ingredients above.

While waiting for the sauteed ingredients to turn golden, let's get the curry paste ready. A packet of chicken curry powder ( I prefer Adabi), water, chilly paste & curry leaves.

Stir to get this paste

Add in the curry paste together with the sauteed ingredients once it turns almost golden

Stir well for 2-3 minutes until the paste is cooked

Join in the chicken (3/4 of a whole chicken)

Stir the chicken together with the paste for 1-2 minutes

Pour in water as enough to almost cover the chicken

Combine cut potatoes

Let simmer until the potatoes tender

Add in 1-2 tablespoon of coconut milk. Stir well & put in salt to taste.

Kari Ayam

Ayam Goreng Bumbu

Who don't love fried chicken? I'm a big fan ;-) How it is marinated, that's not really a problem... as long it is fried!. Hmm.. yummilicious! I normally marinate with turmeric powder & salt or with curry powder & turmeric powder to add the spiciness. Once in awhile I use the instant batter for frying or once in a blue moon, make my own batter. The fried chicken of this recipe is rather exotic. It is another Indonesian cuisine which I recently found out that my helper knew how to make. So, in this post, it was not me in the kitchen (well, I was... snapping photos!) but my helper Sri.

The main ingredients for this recipe besides the chicken itself is galangal (lengkuas). The more galangal used, the more bumbu you get. First is to grate galangal & a bit of fresh turmeric for colour.

Next is to pound, shallots, ginger & coriander. But if you have coriander powder that is even better. Use about 1-2 tbs.

Combine, the grated & pounded ingredients together with coriander onto the chicken.

Stir well

On slow fire, cook the marinated chicken for 5-10 minutes. Do not add in water. The juice of the chicken will help the process. Stir occasionally & add in salt to taste.

Deep fry the chicken

Ayam Goreng Bumbu

Tomyam Campur

I am not really a Tomyam lover. But having tried this tomyam paste I began to appreciate this Thai Cuisine. I did not prepare this meal from scratch though. I used instant tomyam paste. Ever since I discovered this instant paste, never have I tried others.

First of all is to sautee pounded lemon grass & cut onions.

Once fragrant, pour in enough water. That is 2 glasses of water for a packet of the paste.

This is the tomyam paste I always opt for.

Add in the paste once the water has boiled.

Next is to join in kaffir lime leaves.

Add in sliced beef. Let simmer for awhile to make the beef tender

After that, the chicken.

Some squids.

And of course the vegetables. Carrots, cauliflowers & baby corns.

Add salt to taste & finally, lightly pounded bird's eye chillies

Tomyam Campur

Ayam Masak Merah

I'm sharing with you HB's favourite dish. If this is served on the dining table, he won't even eye the other dishes. His love for this "Ayam Masak Merah" started way from his childhood years. A recipe from his grandmother passed to his mother & I, of course learned to cook this from my mother in-law. It is not complicated at all & I'm pretty sure this simple recipe will be a regular on your dining table too. First of all is to marinate the chicken with turmeric powder & salt. Deep fry until half cooked & put aside.

Blend shallot & garlic together. The more the shallots the better. Not too much garlic. Just half the amount of shallots.

Saute the blended ingredients together with pounded lemon grass. Use like 4 to 5. Unfortunately, I only have 3 in the fridge.

Once it turns slightly golden add about 2 tbsp of chilly paste.

Cook for about 5 minutes. Stir continuously unless you use a non-stick pan. Add about 5-6 tbsp of ketchup.

Next, pour about 2 glasses of water. Let simmer for 8 minutes.



Add in sugar & salt to taste plus the fried chicken & chopped onions.

Keep stirring until the gravy becomes slightly thick & your dish ready.


Before serving, I take out all the chicken from the pan to a serving dish.



Next is to separate the oil from the gravy.



Pour the gravy onto the chicken.

"Ayam Masak Merah"