Malaysian. Main. Served at Daun Pisang (#4).

Ayam masak merah

Red-cooked chicken

Ayam masak merah is kenduri feast chicken: fried, then braised in a spiced chili-tomato sauce with whole aromatics and finished with coconut milk. It comes out deep red, slightly sweet-savory, and glossy.

It's mild and a little sweet. Ketchup is traditional here, so don't skip it.

Makes
Serves 12
Time
~1 hour active, ~1.5 hours elapsed
Do ahead
Make it two days ahead.

Ingredients

Scale

Chicken

  • 2.5 kgbone-in thighs and drumsticks, ~10–12 pieces
  • 1 tspturmeric
  • 1 tspsalt
  • Neutral oil for frying

Paste (blend smooth)

  • 20large dried red chilies, Kashmiri-style, soaked and deseeded
  • 3red onions
  • 8garlic cloves
  • 70gfresh ginger
  • 2"fresh galangal
  • 2lemongrass stalks, white only

Whole aromatics

  • 2cinnamon sticks
  • 4star anise
  • 6cloves
  • 4cardamom pods
  • 2pandan leaves, knotted

Sauce

  • 250 mltomato puree
  • 2–3 tbsptomato ketchup
  • 3–4 tbspMaggi chili sauce
  • 2 tbspoyster sauce
  • 1 can (400 ml)full-fat coconut milk
  • 1–2 tbspsugar
  • Salt
  • 100 mlwater

Finish

  • 2onions, cut into rings
  • 2–3tomatoes, quartered (1–2 into the sauce, the rest as garnish)
  • Optional handful of frozen peas

Method

  1. Coat the chicken in the turmeric and salt. Rest at least 30 minutes.
  2. Shallow-fry in batches until about three-quarters cooked and golden. Do not cook it through, and do not over-crisp it, because the skin goes rubbery in the braise.
  3. In the same oil, fry the cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cardamom, and pandan for 1 to 2 minutes.
  4. Add the paste. Cook on medium, stirring constantly, 15 to 20 minutes, until pecah minyak.
  5. Add the tomato puree, ketchup, Maggi chili sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and water. Cook 5 minutes.
  6. Add the coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Never a hard boil after this.
  7. Return the chicken. Simmer uncovered 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked through and the sauce coats it.
  8. Cook 1 to 2 of the quartered tomatoes into the sauce for 5 to 10 minutes, before or after the chicken goes back, until they melt into it. Add the onion rings in the last 5 minutes, so they soften but keep their shape.
  9. Taste and balance the sweetness against the chili and tomato, adding sugar a little at a time. The remaining tomato quarters go on top as garnish.

Notes

  • Twenty chilies keeps this on the sweet side. Add more if you want heat.
  • Reheat on low with a splash of water or coconut milk. Add fresh onion rings and tomatoes on the reheat if you want them to hold their shape.