The red sauce here is a cut above Heinz! The deep red colour in ayam masak merah comes from tomatoes, dried red chillies and, yes, there is a little squirt of ketchup. The chicken is marinated first in turmeric, then fried, before being simmered for an hour with spices and tomatoes. It’s the slow cooking of the tomatoes and chilli in oil that concentrates and transforms them into a jammy sweetness, much like sun-dried tomatoes. I like to use fresh tomatoes, especially in summer when they are just bursting with sweetness, but in winter, feel free to substitute these for the same quantity of tinned chopped tomatoes.
750 g (1 lb 10 oz) chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
½ tsp ground turmeric
2 big pinches of coarse sea salt
3–4 tbsp vegetable oil
4 cardamom pods, lightly bashed
4 cloves
4 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 medium (100 g/3½ oz) ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
about 250 ml (8 fl oz/1 cup) water
1 tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
1½ tsp light brown sugar, or to taste
juice of ½ lime
handful of coriander (cilantro), to serve
1 red chilli, thinly sliced, to serve
FOR THE REMPAH (SPICE PASTE)
1 red onion, roughly chopped
2 lemongrass stalks, base only, finely chopped
thumb-sized piece (15 g/½ oz) of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves
10 dried red Kashmiri chillies, soaked in hot water until soft
Method
Pound all the spice paste ingredients using a pestle and mortar or whizz in a small blender until you get a fine paste. Rub the chicken with the turmeric and coarse sea salt.
Add enough oil to just cover the base of a shallow casserole pot (Dutch oven) set over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken thighs skin-side down. Leave them to fry over medium–low heat until golden – don’t be nosy and keep poking at them! Once golden, flip and fry until golden on the other side. Remove and set aside on kitchen paper (paper towels).
In the remaining oil in the pot, fry the whole spices, followed by the spice paste for 15 minutes, or until the oil separates from the paste.
Now stir in the ketchup and chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes have softened. Return the chicken to the pot along with the water, salt and sugar.
Bring the whole pot to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and let simmer, partially covered, for about 1 hour. The curry is ready when the chicken is tender and the sauce is a rich, paste-like consistency. If it’s still too wet, uncover and cook to reduce the sauce.
Finish with a squeeze of lime, then taste again for seasoning. Once you’re happy, sprinkle with coriander and chilli to serve.
The red sauce here is a cut above Heinz! The deep red colour in ayam masak merah comes from tomatoes, dried red chillies and, yes, there is a little squirt of ketchup. The chicken is marinated first in turmeric, then fried, before being simmered for an hour with spices and tomatoes. It’s the slow cooking of the tomatoes and chilli in oil that concentrates and transforms them into a jammy sweetness, much like sun-dried tomatoes. I like to use fresh tomatoes, especially in summer when they are just bursting with sweetness, but in winter, feel free to substitute these for the same quantity of tinned chopped tomatoes.
This recipe is from Shu Han Lee’s new cookbook, Agak Agak – Everyday Recipes From Singapore published by Hardie Grant books.
Ingredients (SERVES 3–4)
750 g (1 lb 10 oz) chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
½ tsp ground turmeric
2 big pinches of coarse sea salt
3–4 tbsp vegetable oil
4 cardamom pods, lightly bashed
4 cloves
4 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 medium (100 g/3½ oz) ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
about 250 ml (8 fl oz/1 cup) water
1 tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
1½ tsp light brown sugar, or to taste
juice of ½ lime
handful of coriander (cilantro), to serve
1 red chilli, thinly sliced, to serve
FOR THE REMPAH (SPICE PASTE)
1 red onion, roughly chopped
2 lemongrass stalks, base only, finely chopped
thumb-sized piece (15 g/½ oz) of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves
10 dried red Kashmiri chillies, soaked in hot water until soft
Method
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