If American-style fried chicken is too mild for your taste, then Malaysia’s spiced fried chicken, the Ayam Goreng Berempah, is sure to be your favorite. Infused with herbs and spices characteristic of Malaysian cuisine, each bite will leave you wanting more.
From the aromatic fragrance alone, you’ll be drooling all over. With its trademark crispy skin on the outside with juicy and savory meat on the inside, it’s the perfect pair for your nasi lemak.
Ingredients
- 1.4 kg cut chicken thighs
- 5 stalks of lemongrass (coarsely blended)
- 10 shallots (coarsely blended)
- 5 garlic cloves (coarsely blended)
- 1 thumb-size ginger roughly 2 in. (coarsely blended)
- 2-3 tbsp water (for easier blending)
- 2 chilis blend finely (add more if you prefer spicier) or 1 tbsp chili paste
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 3 tbsp meat curry powder
- 3 tbsp cornflour
- 3 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 beaten egg
- 2 stalks of curry leaves + 4 stalks of curry leaves for frying
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
Steps
- Marinate the chicken
- In a food processor, blend the ginger, shallots, lemongrass, chilis, coriander powder, cumin powder, curry powder, salt, and sugar.
- While blending, add in the beaten egg.
- In a mixing bowl, coat the chicken evenly with the blended paste and some curry leaves. You can use chicken breast but take note that it tastes very dry when overcooked. On the other hand, chicken thighs and drumsticks will render in the frying process, and the meat will turn out oozing with juicy flavor.
- Marinate for at least 30 minutes. It’s best to leave the chicken to marinate overnight for more flavor.
- Fry the chicken
- Heat up the vegetable oil in the pan.
- Deep fry the chicken in boiling oil.
- Add in the rest of the curry leaves to infuse more spice. Fry a few pieces at a time.
- Place the lid on and check every few minutes to avoid burning the chicken. Fry till golden brown.
- Drain the chicken on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
- For the signature crunch, fry the remainder of the spice blend in the same pan. Take extra caution with this step as the oil may splatter with the extra moisture in the spices.
- To make sure they won’t get burned, break the clumps into smaller pieces using a spatula or a cooking spoon. Make sure not to miss this step. Otherwise, the bits will be too soggy.
- The crunchy tidbits are ready to go once the bubbles in the oil dissipate.
- Sprinkle over the fried chicken for that characteristic crunch. Serve and enjoy!
