Indonesian ayam bakar inspired spicy tawa grilled chicken
Ayam Bakar, meaning “grilled chicken” in Indonesian, is a smoky and flavorful dish that showcases the rich spices of Indonesia. The chicken is marinated in a blend of turmeric, garlic, ginger, coriander, and sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), then slow-grilled to perfection. The result is tender, juicy chicken with a slightly charred and caramelized exterior.Often served with steamed rice, sambal (spicy chili sauce), and fresh vegetables, Ayam Bakar is a perfect balance of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors, making it a beloved dish across Indonesia and beyond.I've been inspired by this beautiful dish from one of my favorite Indonesian spots that I often go to, they serve this grilled chicken that is so flavourful so smokey, and so juicy it melts in your mouth. I've used my chopper to chop and make a coarse paste of the chili and aromatics and then marinated the chicken for a few hours resulting in the most delicious grilled chicken I've ever tasted.
Equipment
- 1 tawa/grill pan/grill
- 1 chopped/mixer to make the marination
Ingredients
- 2-4 pieces of chicken cut in medium
- 7 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp fresh or powder turmeric
- 10 fresh red chili/soaked dried red chili
- 1/2 cup coriander
- 1/2 cup spring onion
- 1 red onion/shallot cut
- 1tsp lemon juice
- 2 chicken stock cubes/vegeta for flavour msg works too
- 2 tbsp sweet soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Ketchup
- 1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 2 lime leaves optional
- 2 tsp fried shallots to garnish
- 2 green chili optional
- 1 tsp lemongrass optional
- fresh coriander to garnish
Instructions
- in a mixer/chopper add turmeric, chilis, ginger, garlic, lemongrass, coriander, shallots/red onion, spring onion and blend until coarse paste.
- marinate the chicken pieces with this chili paste along with sweet chili sauce, ketchup, sweet soy sauce, chicken seasonings and lemon juice.
- Mix very well and let it marinate at least 2 hours, better overnight.
- In a pan/grill add some oil and add the marinated chicken.
- cook until charred on both sides. put the heat to low and cover and cook for 10 minutes each sides again.
- Now add the rest of the marination and keep basting the chicken pieces with the chicken sauce and marination oil in the pan.
- Keep cooking on low heat while basting the chicken pieces until they’re fully cooked. with my medium-sized chicken pieces, it took me 20-25 minutes.
- Add the lime leaves for a nice fragrant, add some fresh chili and coriander too.
- Serve with some plain/coconut rice, lemon, fried shallots and some salads on the side.