-
1
Marinate the Chicken
20 Mins
Cold, about 4°C (40°F)
Put the chicken chunks in a bowl with the yogurt, half the garlic, half the ginger and half of the spice mix, plus 1 teaspoon of the salt. Mix well so every piece is coated, cover, and leave in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Twenty minutes is enough — longer in yogurt can make the chicken chalky rather than tender.
Done when: Chicken evenly coated in a thick, spiced yogurt paste.
-
2
Cook the Dalca
30 Mins
Simmering, about 95°C (203°F)
Heat the vegetable oil in a small pot, soften 40 g of the sliced onion for 3 minutes, then add the lentils, carrot, potato, a pinch of the spice mix and 300 ml of water. Simmer gently for 25 minutes until the lentils collapse into a thick, spoonable curry. Season with salt and keep warm.
Stir the dalca now and then — lentils catch on the bottom of the pot as they thicken.
Done when: Thick enough to coat a spoon, with the carrot and potato tender.
-
3
Brown the Chicken Masala
20 Mins
Medium-high heat, about 190°C (375°F)
Heat the ghee in a large pot, fry the remaining sliced onion until golden, then add the rest of the garlic, ginger and spice mix and fry for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the marinated chicken and the tomatoes, stir well, cover and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick. The chicken must reach 74°C (165°F) inside.
Fry the spices in the ghee before the chicken goes in — raw spice mix tastes flat and dusty.
Done when: Chicken cooked through to 74°C (165°F), coated in a thick, dark masala with oil glistening at the edges.
-
4
Cook the Fragrant Rice
20 Mins
Low heat, about 95°C (203°F)
In a second pot, melt the remaining ghee, fry a sliced onion until soft, then add the rinsed rice and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the evaporated milk and 600 ml of water, add the knotted pandan, the bruised lemongrass and the remaining salt, and bring to a boil. Cover tightly, turn the heat to the lowest setting, and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
Do not lift the lid while the rice cooks — the steam is doing the work, and every peek lets it out.
Done when: All the liquid absorbed, grains standing separate and smelling of pandan.
-
5
Rest the Rice
10 Mins
Off the heat, about 70°C (158°F), covered
Take the rice off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes. Then lift the lid, remove the pandan and lemongrass, and fluff the rice gently with a fork. Scatter the raisins, cashews and crispy fried onions over the top.
Fluff with a fork, never a spoon — a spoon crushes the grains and turns the rice sticky.
Done when: Fluffy, separate grains, golden in places, with the garnish sitting on top.
-
6
Plate with Dalca and Acar
5 Mins
Serve hot, about 70°C (158°F)
Spoon a mound of rice onto each plate, lay the chicken masala alongside it, and add a ladle of dalca and a spoonful of acar pickles. Serve at once, with papadum on the side if you have it.
Serve the rice and the chicken separately, the Malay way — everyone mixes their own plate.
Done when: Hot rice, hot masala, hot dalca, and the sharp pickle ready to cut through the richness.
Malaysia
1h 10m
