Ayam Goreng Berempah – Malaysian Style Spicy Fried Chicken

What’s so special about Fried Chicken? I would say nothing much. In this KFC era, fried chicken is a very common dish. In addition, being in Kerala means that at least once in a month you would eat Kerala Chicken Fry. That’s why today I wanted to try something different. Today’s special is called Ayam Goreng Berempah which is a delicacy from Malaysia. Now, these three words literally translate to “Chicken Fried Spice” or in other words “Spicy Fried Chicken”. There is a variant called Ayam Goreng Berempah Serai where “Serai” means lemongrass. Unfortunately we didn’t have lemongrass in our vicinity so we had to skip that. We also made other modifications. So without further ado, here is the recipe:

Ingredients

Set – 1

  • Chicken – 1.5 kg (cut in large pieces)

Set – 2

  • Onion – 1 (medium sized)
  • Garlic – 4 large cloves
  • Ginger – 1 inch
  • Lemongrass (white part) – 4 sticks (this is optional)

Set – 3

  • Egg – 1
  • Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
  • Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
  • Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
  • Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
  • Salt – 1 1/2 tsp (or as you wish)
  • Meat Masala – 1 tbsp
  • Sugar – 1 tbsp
  • Cornflour – 3 tbsp
  • Curry Leaves – 1 to 2 sprigs

Set – 4

  • Coconut Oil – As required for deep frying (the original recipe recommended vegetable oil but our stock of it was over)

Preparation

  • Blend Set – 2 ingredients in a blender to make a paste
  • Make a batter out of Set – 3 ingredients
  • Mix the chicken with Set – 2 and Set – 3 to marinate and keep it aside for at least 1 hour
  • Take a woke or deep frying pan and heat sufficient oil in it.
  • Deep fry the chicken pieces until they are golden brown and crisp
  • Remove the fried chicken and keep it on paper towel to absorb the excess oil
  • Serve with the sauce of your choice.

Tips

  • Marinating the chicken overnight is the recommended method. So if you decide to prepare it, try marinating it the previous night
  • The oil should start smoking. It is a good idea to throw a curry leaf into it to see whether it bubbles. That shows whether the oil is ready
  • The oil can be any cooking oil except olive. I am not sure what is wrong with olive oil but the author from whom I learned this has specifically stated this.
  • Lemongrass is an ingredient I skipped. Perhaps when I prepare this next time I will try adding it and see the difference.

I must thank the author who has written the original recipe which I modified. You may check out my other recipes as well as follow me on Instagram if you need updates about any upcoming recipes. Enjoy!

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