AYAM MASAK MERAH (SPICY TOMATO SAUCE CHICKEN)

I love ayam masak merah! All my friends and loved ones know I am a chicken meat lover. I love sweet or spicy foods, so when I first tried this in Malaysia's Ayer Keroh Highway R&R back then, I was blown away! Never knew before that such a delicious Malay delicacy existed (o.0!) Wow! Where had I been all these while? I would then try the dish at Malay food stalls in Singapore, and never found the servings enough to satisfy my appetite.  The servings were simply too small for me.....I could eat a whole bird!

I attempted to cook this once when I was new in the kitchen. Armed with a promising cookbook, I followed the recipe but either I did not know the techniques, or the measurements were off, the dish did not turn out quite right. I had to deep fry (T.T) the protein, which was quite a disaster. I felt that all the efforts of preparing this dish were simply not worth since the outcome did not quite make it. 

After a few years wiser and spending more time in the kitchen, I decided to try again. This time, without the cookbook, but based on my own senses and preference. Made a few searches on internet to find out what various ingredients were used, I thought this compilation would work well for me. I did not deep fry the proteins (spare me, please!!), and used evaporated milk instead of coconut milk. I also added in potatoes and carrots as I always have them in my pantry. So, presenting..... Little Mouse style Ayam Masak Merah!

AYAM MASAK MERAH (SPICY TOMATO SAUCE CHICKEN)

Ingredients

(A)

1kg boneless chicken thighs, each thigh cut into 3-4 parts
2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper 
1 tsp light soya sauce

4 potatoes, cubed

2 carrots, cubed

(B)

5 red chillies, deseeded and sliced

4 garlic cloves, diced

(C)

3 onions

20g ginger

20g galangal

3 lemongrass (use only the white part)

(D)

1 star anise

3 cloves

1 cinnamon bark

2 cardamon seeds

Some vegetable oil

(E)

2 small tomatoes, cubed

1 small can tomato paste

2 tbsp oyster sauce

4 tbsp ketchup

1 cup water

salt and sugar to taste

(F)

1/4 to 1/2 cup evaporated full cream milk (depending on desired consistency)

Methods

1. Marinate cut thighs with salt, pepper, light soya sauce and turmeric powder. Leave them in fridge overnight.

2. Roughly chop ingredients (C) and blend / pound till fine to form paste. You may add a little oil to aid blending.

3. In a wok, add some oil and fry potatoes and carrots till browned. Remove the roots from wok and set them aside.

4. In the same wok, add a little oil and fry meat till browned and half cooked. Set aside.

5. Using the same hot wok, with about 2 tbsp of oil and over low heat, saute (D) till fragrant.

6. Pour in (B) and blended paste (C). Turn up to medium heat to stir-fry till they bubble and become fragrant. Lower heat to continue simmering until oil is separated from the spices.

7. Stir in cubed tomatoes to cook till softened. Add (E) and simmer until tomatoes turn soft.

8. Now add in half cooked potatoes, carrots and chicken thighs, including the liquids while resting the meat. Saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes, let it simmer until meat becomes tender, potatoes and carrots are soft.

9. Stir in (F).

10. Serve.

This dish was supposed to taste better the next day, but my gang attacked it anyway. Nothing was left except for an empty plate.