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1
Cook the Coconut Rice
20 Mins
Simmering, ~95°C (200°F)
Put the rinsed rice, coconut milk, water, pandan leaf and 3 g of salt in a pot and stir once. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to the lowest setting, cover tightly and simmer for 15 minutes. Take the pot off the heat, leave it covered for 5 minutes more, then remove the pandan leaf and fluff with a fork.
Do not lift the lid while the rice simmers — the trapped steam is what cooks the top grains, and coconut milk scorches easily if the pot boils dry.
Done when: Separate, fluffy grains that smell of coconut and pandan, with no liquid left in the pot.
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2
Boil the Eggs
10 Mins
Boiling, 100°C (212°F)
Put the eggs in a small pan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, then cool under cold running water, peel and cut each egg in half.
Start the eggs in cold water so the shells peel cleanly, and cool them at once so the yolks stay yellow instead of going grey at the edge.
Done when: Firm whites and fully set, yellow yolks.
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3
Make the Sambal
20 Mins
Medium heat, ~175°C (350°F)
Blend the soaked dried chillies, fresh chillies, shallots, onion and garlic with 2 tablespoons of water until coarse. Heat 20 g of oil in a pan, fry the paste for 5 minutes until it darkens and the oil separates at the edges, then add the toasted belacan and fry for 1 minute more. Stir in the tamarind paste, sugar and lime juice and simmer for 8 minutes until thick and glossy.
Fry the paste until the oil separates — that is the sign the raw chilli taste is gone. Blend it coarse, not smooth: the little chunks are what make a stall sambal taste homemade.
Done when: A thick, dark red paste that holds its shape on a spoon and glistens with oil.
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4
Fry the Anchovies & Peanuts
5 Mins
Medium heat, ~175°C (350°F)
Heat 10 g of oil in a small pan and fry the dried anchovies for 2 minutes until crisp and golden, then lift them out and drain. Fry the peanuts in the same oil for 1 minute until they smell roasted, then drain both on paper towels.
Dry the anchovies well before frying — any water left on them makes the oil spit and keeps them chewy instead of crisp.
Done when: Anchovies that snap when bent; peanuts golden and fragrant.
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5
Coat & Fry the Chicken
15 Mins
Hot oil, ~175°C (350°F)
Mix the flour with the cornstarch. Press each marinated thigh into the flour so it is coated all over. Fry in about 300 ml of hot oil, two thighs at a time, for about 6 minutes per side until deep golden and crisp. Drain on a rack, not on paper, so the crust stays crisp, then cut each thigh into strips.
Fry two thighs at a time — crowding the pan drops the oil temperature and the coating turns soggy instead of crisp.
Done when: Deep golden crust, juices running clear, and the thickest part at 74°C (165°F).
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6
Assemble the Plates
5 Mins
No heat
Spoon a mound of coconut rice onto a banana leaf or a plate, set the chicken strips beside it, add a halved egg, a spoonful of sambal, the crispy anchovies, peanuts and cucumber slices, and serve at once.
Serve the sambal on the side, not on the chicken — everyone seasons their own plate, and the crust stays crisp.
Done when: Hot rice, crackling chicken, and the sambal within reach.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Eat it the Malaysian way: a little rice, a little sambal and a little of everything else in every spoonful, so the creamy, hot, salty and cool parts all arrive together.
Malaysia
25m
Vietnam
France