Feral Cooks

Good food shouldn't be tame

You are here: Home / Chicken / Chicken Rendang with Cinnamon and Star Anise (Rendang Ayam)

Chicken Rendang with Cinnamon and Star Anise (Rendang Ayam)

August 4, 2017 By Karl Leave a Comment

Yumi’s apricots were a big hit last week, but I’m still on an Indonesian food rampage. This time, it’s an astoundingly good chicken rendang that’s a little similar to the Javanese chicken curry in appearance, but with a very different flavor.

Like beef rendang and the other simplified chicken rendang, this dish involves cooking down the coconut milk and spice paste beyond being a very thick seasoning to actually browning exterior of the chicken.

I really can’t recommend strongly enough to try making any of these rendangs. They’re so flavorful that you’ll want to put them on your regular menu.

And, as you may have guessed, this recipe is from my favorite cookbook, Cradle of Flavor.

What you’ll need:

For the flavoring paste:

  • 3 stalks of fresh lemongrass
  • 5 shallots (about 3.75 oz), chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 piece 2 inches long fresh or frozen turmeric, peeled and chopped. Or 1.5t ground turmeric
  • 2-10 small dried red chilies, stemmed (obviously more = hotter)

For the rendang:

  • About 2 lbs chicken. I use boneless, though bone-in pieces are more flavorful. If you use bone-in pieces, make it 2.75 lbs
  • 3T peanut oil
  • 2 4-inch cinnamon sticks
  • 4 whole star anise
  • 6 creen cardamom pods, cracked open
  • 2.5 cups high-quality coconut milk. Cheap, watery milk won’t give as good results
  • 1t sugar
  • 4 lime leaves (a little lime zest and a bay leaf works, too)
  • Salt to taste

What to do:

Chop the ends from the lemongrass, peel off the outer layers. You’ll have pieces that are out 5-inches long. Cut these into 0.25-inch slices.

Put the sliced lemongrass, shallots, garlic, turmeric and chilies into a small food processor and pulse to a chunky paste that has the consistency of cooked oatmeal. Ensure that the lemongrass is well ground, as it does not soften during cooking, and chunks of it will ruin the dish. Add a tablespoon of water if the paste sticks to the sides of the processor and won’t grind.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet (nonstick actually works best, if you have one) over medium heat and add the cinnamon, star anise and cardamom. Heat until you can clearly smell their fragrances, then check the temperature for sautéing the seasoning paste. At the correct temperature, a pinch of the paste will sizzle around the edges, but not fry aggressively. When the temp is right, add all of the paste and sauté, stirring regularly to prevent scorching. Cook until the shallots and garlic no longer smell raw.

Add the coconut milk, sugar, lime leaves and salt, to taste. Stir well to combine and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to a slow, steady bubble and cook until the liquid is reduced by about 25 percent.

Add the chicken and stir to combine. Continue to gently simmer uncovered, checking every 10 minutes or so to make sure the chicken doesn’t stick to the bottom. Continue cooking until the liquid is reduced by about 95 percent, about 1-1.5 hours. Add salt, if needed. If a lot of fat rendered from the chicken, you can spoon it off, but save it for sautéing another food.

Reduce heat to low and allow the chicken to gently brown in the remaining rendered fat, stirring often to avoid scorching. Continue for about 20-25 minutes longer, until the chicken is browned to the color of toffee. The surface should be a bit moist, with an appetizing sheen.

-Note that I can never wait this long—too eager to eat. But if you have the fortitude to wait for the browning, you’ll be glad you did.

Transfer the chicken to a serving dish, and let it rest 10 minutes before serving. You can remove the whole spices and lime leaves, but don’t serve it too hot. It’s best lukewarm, as the flavors are more pronounced.

Can be served with white rice, or even coconut/lemongrass rice.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Chicken, Gluten Free, Indonesian, Low carb/Low GI/Low GL

« Lemon Basil Pesto
Pickled Cucumbers »

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Feral Cooks was developed by Karl and Philip, two expats who were introduced to each other by their wives while living in Japan.  Learn more →

Recent Posts

  • Taiwanese Salt and Pepper Chicken (Yan Su Ji)
  • No-Bake Cheesecake
  • Mini Baked Potatoes with Blue Cheese and Bacon
  • Sambal Oelek Roasted Carrots
  • Maccheroni Quattro Formaggi Villa D’este (Macaroni with Four Cheeses)

Categories

  • Appetizers & cheese (134)
  • Baked goods (69)
  • Beef (38)
  • Beverages (9)
  • Chicken (65)
  • Cooking tools (14)
  • Dessert (66)
  • Eggs (24)
  • Gluten Free (207)
  • Indian (29)
  • Indonesian (24)
  • Ingredients (24)
  • Italian (37)
  • Japanese (42)
  • Lamb (4)
  • Low carb/Low GI/Low GL (189)
  • Mexican (6)
  • Misc. (30)
  • Pasta (30)
  • Pizza (17)
  • Pork (95)
  • Pressure cooker (6)
  • Restaurants & Delis (2)
  • Seafood (22)
  • Soup (13)
  • Thai (42)
  • Tofu (11)
  • Uncategorized (9)
  • Vegan (90)
  • Vegetarian (211)
  • Vietnamese (14)

Archives

  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016

© 2023 - Feral Cooks - All Rights Reserved