Ayam Bakar Taliwang (Lombok Style Spicy Grilled Chicken)

Ayam Bakar Taliwang (Lombok Style Spicy Grilled Chicken) is one of the culinary icons of Lombok Island in West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. It's hot but delicious! If you don't like it to be really spicy, just remove the Chili seeds & also the membrane. So it will still have the chili special flavour but not really spicy. Or you could reduce the amount of chili to suit your taste :) In Lombok, Ayam Taliwang is made with small free-range chickens (spring chickens), but you could just substitute it with half a Chicken if it's to hard to find.

In Indonesian & English (the English version is below the recipe written in Indonesian)

Bahan

• 1 Ayam kampung muda & kecil (750-850 gr)
• 3 st Garam, 3 Daun jeruk, 5 Jeruk limau
• 4 sm Minyak, 250 ml Santan, 1 st Lada
• 15 gr Gula merah, 3 cm Kencur-haluskan
• 2 st Air asam

Haluskan:

• 70 gr Bawang merah, 1½ st Garam, 5 Kemiri
• 130 gr Cabai merah, ½ st Terasi, 1 Tomat
• 2 cm Kencur, 15 gr  Bawang putih, 8 Rawit

Cara membuat

• Campur 1 sm minyak, air asam, kencur hls, garam, lada. Ayam dibelah 2 dari dada hingga leher tanpa terputus. Balik & tekan ayam hingga terbuka. Kerat permukaannya. Lumuri ayam dng campuran air asam sampai kedlm keratan2nya, diamkan 30 mnt. Goreng ayam ½ matang.
• Tumis bumbu halus hingga harum. Tuang santan, beri daun jeruk & gula mrh, masak hingga mendidih & cairan menyusut & mengental. Angkat, beri air jrk limau, aduk rata.
• Tusuk ayam dengan bambu (bila ada) & pukul2 ayam hingga memar. Lumuri ayam dng bumbu santan dng rata. Bakar ayam di atas bara arang hingga ayam matang sambil sesekali dibalik & diolesi bumbu lagi. Dpt juga dng dipanggang di oven dng suhu 200° C. Olesi ayam dng bumbu. Ltkkan ayam di atas sebuah rak berkaki yg di ltkkan dlm loyang besar berisi air, dada menghdp atas. Panggang ± 30 mnt. Balik ayam, olesi bumbu, panggang lagi ± 30 mnt. Hidangkan dng nasi putih, sisa bumbu santan dan sayuran mentah, Beberuk Terong atau Pelecing Kangkung (klik pada link untuk resep2nya).

Ingredients

• 1 Spring Chicken (750-850 gr), 5 Kaffir lime
• 4 tbsp Frying oil, 250 ml Coconut milk, 1 tsp Pepper
• 15 gr Brown sugar, 3 Kaffir lime leaves, 3 tsp Salt
• 3 cm Lesser galangal-grind, 2 tsp Tamarind juice

Grind into a paste:

• 15 gr Garlic, ½ tsp Shrimp paste, 70 gr Shallots
• 1 small Tomato, 5 Candlenuts, 8 Bird`s eye chilies
• 1½ tsp Salt, 2 cm Lesser galangal, 130 gr Chilies

Directions

• Mix 1 tbsp of oil with tamarind juice, lesser galangal, salt & pepper. Butterfly the chicken (cut along the breast but don`t cut the whole chicken into 2). Turn the chicken over; press the back side to flatten. Make several slashes on the chicken; then rub chicken with tamarind juice mixture. Let it stand for 30 min. Fry chicken until ½ cooked.
• Sauté spices paste until fragrant. Stir in coconut milk, lime leaves & brown sugar; bring it to a simmer. Cook until the liquid almost dries & thicken. Remove from the heat; stir in lime juice.
• Gently pound the chicken to slightly bruise it. Smear chicken with coconut sauce; then grill it in charcoals grill until the chicken cooked. Turn the chicken over & repeat the procedure. Or u can grill it in oven: Heat the oven to 200° C. Smear chicken with coconut sauce & then place it on a wire rack, breast side up. Put the chicken+wire rack in a watered roasting pan. Grill for ~ 30 min. Turn the chicken over; smear it with the sauce; then grill for another ~ 30 min. Serve chicken with steamed rice, the rest of coconut sauce and raw vegetables, Eggplant Salad or Spicy Vegetable Salad (click on the links for the recipe).