Image credit: Resepi Che Nom
Ayam penyet is a dish enjoyed by all. It offers a range of textures and flavours, from the crispy and tender fried chicken seasoned with all kinds of spices, to the tangy and aromatic sambal.
The accompaniments are often delicate tasting greens, which refreshes your palate, making you go back for more Ayam penyet. So, here is an ayam penyet recipe that won’t disappoint.
Origin of Ayam Penyet
Ayam penyet is a dish loved throughout South East Asia, but no one can deny its origins in Indonesia, specifically East Java. Even in the name itself, penyet is Javanese for “pressed”, which refers to the process where the chicken is pressed with a pestle to tenderize it.
Ayam Penyet Recipe: How to make Ayam Penyet
Difficulty: Moderate
Details
8 servings
45 minutes
45 minutes
1000 kcal
I. Ayam Penyet
Print
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, cut into 4 or 8
1 chicken stock cube
1inch of ginger
2 cloves of garlic
Water
Directions
- Clean the chicken and boil it with ginger, garlic and the chicken stock cube for approximately 15 minutes or until cooked.
- Remove the chicken and set it aside.
| **Note: Save the water for the rice. |
II. Marinade
Ingredients
1/2 spoon of sweet cumin
1/2 spoon of white cumin
3 tablespoons of coriander
1 tablespoon of turmeric powder
1/2 tablespoon of white pepper powder
3 cloves of garlic
1inch of ginger
Salt to taste
Directions
- Fry the sweet cumin, white cumin, and coriander on a non-oiled pan until fragrant.
- Allow the spices to cool then grind it with the rest of the marinade ingredients until smooth.
- Marinate the boiled chicken for a minimum of 2 hours, allowing the chicken to absorb the spices.
- Fry the chicken until crisp.
- Marinate the tofu and tempeh separately from the chicken and fry.
- Use the extra marinade for the batter.
| **Note: You can smash or press the chicken with a pestle to tenderize it |
III. Batter
Directions
- Mix the extra marinade with the rice flour and egg.
- Slowly pour this mixture into the pan and fry until crisp. Or you can coat the chicken in the batter and fry until crispy.
| **Note: the crispy fried batter will be served as a topping |
IV. Rice
Ingredients
3 cups of rice, washed and drained
6 cups of boiled chicken water
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anises
5 cardamom seeds
1 spoon of butter or ghee
1 pandan leaf, shredded and knotted
Salt to taste
Directions
- Clean Sautee the butter, garlic, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom and pandan until fragrant.
- Add the rice and stir.
- Add water and a little salt.
- Close the lid and let it cook in the pot or rice cooker.
V. Sambal
Ingredients
10 chilli padis
10 red chillis
10 red onions, cut into 4
2 cloves of garlic, cut coarsely
3 tomatoes, cut into 4
5cm of belacan bakar
1/2 handful of anchovies
3 tablespoons of gula Melaka, or to taste
1 cup of oil
Lime
Salt to taste
Directions
- Fry the anchovies until crisp then set them aside.
- Fry the chillies and red onion in the same oil then fry the tomatoes until soft.
- Roughly grind the anchovies, chillies, red onion, tomatoes and belacan bakar.
- Heat the extra oil and cook the sambal in it with gula Melaka. Season with salt to taste
VI. Accompaniments
Ingredients
4 pieces of tofu
2 pieces of tempe
An assortment of vegetables
(cucumber, salam leaf, cabbage, long beans, tomato)
Directions
- Fry the marinated tofu and tempeh
- Clean and slice the vegetables then serve with the rice and Ayam penyet.
Recipe credit: Resepi Che Nom
Ways to Enjoy Ayam Penyet
Sambal is a key player in Ayam penyet. So, feel free to play around with your sambal recipe and create a perfect one for you.
You can change up your accompaniments as well. Maybe add in blanched kangkong, fresh lettuce, fried shallots and even keropok.
Itching to make more scrumptious dishes? Then, make your way to Lokataste and explore more recipes there!
Are you looking to order takeaway instead? Then check out our food guides and menus of popular franchises.
