Javanese Ayam Rica Rica

I got this recipe from a local Indonesian chef. It super hot so if you need to tone this down a bit by all means use less chillies. The recipe will serve 4 people.

You will need:

4 Chicken Breasts

300g Basmati or Jasmine Rice

For the sauce:

50g Candlenuts (asian supermarkets or order online)

4 Cloves of Garlic

1 Inch of Ginger

4 Lime Leaves

3 Shallots

4cm Fresh Tumeric (or 1 tsp of dried)

2 Stalks of Lemongrass. (just the white)

1/2 Inch of Galangal

1 1/2 tsp Coriander Powder

8 Red Chillies

4 Thai Red Chillies

50ml Water

For the Peanut Sauce:

50g Peanuts

1 Clove of Garlic

1 Banana Shallot

2 Lime Leaves

1 Thai Red Chilli

50ml Warm Water.

To finish the dish you will need:

3 tbs Kicap Manis

1 tbs Palm Sugar

2 tbs Light Soy

Pinch of sugar

Pinch of Salt

1. Put all of your sauce ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Cover until needed.
2. Wash out the blender then repeat the process for the peanut sauce. If the mixture is too thick and not well blended just add a little more water until you have a consistency of peanut butter.
3. Cut your chicken in to chunks. Not too small as we will need to grill the chicken and if its too small it will dry out.
4. In a frying pan add a splash of oil then heat until hot. Add in your chicken and colour on all sides for a couple of minutes.
5. Add in the sauce and stir. Turn the heat down and cook for 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile put your grill on high.
6. Take the sauce off the heat then line your grill pan with tin foil. Take each piece of chicken out of the sauce and place on the tray. Heat until you can see the chicken just start to char slightly.
7. Take out off the grill and place back in the sauce. Add the Kicap Manis, Sugar, Soy and Palm Sugar. Gently heat the curry though for a 10 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. If you find the curry is catching in the pan by all means add a little water. Meanwhile put your rice on to cook in salted water with the lid on until nice and tender. Once cooked fork through and allow to steam with the lid on for a couple of minutes.
8. This curry isn’t massively saucy so the finished dish is quite thick and almost sticky. Finally check the seasoning and add a little salt if needed.

If you have a coconut you can serve the curry in that but I suppose a plate will do!

Enjoy!