Ayam Sambal Matah Bali - Pan Fried Chicken with Balinese Salsa
Try this refreshing spicy salsa from Bali using shallots, lemongrass, bird-eye chilies, and lime. They are great with pan-fried chicken, or even grilled seafood.
- Prep time
- 30 min
- Cook time
- 8 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 lemongrass, peeled to get only the tender white part, thinly sliced
- 150 gram shallots, peeled and washed with drinking water, thinly sliced
- 10-15 bird-eye chilies, seeds removed (optional) and thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon terasi/shrimp paste, or 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 lime, juice and zest
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil/olive oil
- a pair of boneless skinless chicken breast
- salt
- pepper
- all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- 1
Sambal matah
- 2
Toast terasi: Place terasi/shrimp paste in a microwave-safe bowl, and cover the bowl with a microwave-safe plate. Cook in the microwave for 30 seconds to toast until the shrimp paste turns a lighter shade, very fragrant, and looks crumbly. Let it cool slightly, then use the back of a spoon to crush into a fine powder.
- 3
Assemble sambal matah: Combine lemongrass slices, shallot slices, bird-eye chili slices, shrimp paste powder, salt, lime juice, and optionally, lime zest in a mixing bowl.
- 4
Heat oil: Cook coconut/olive oil in a pan until shimmering, then pour over sambal matah. Use a spoon to mix all the ingredients. Give it a taste test, and add more salt if needed. You can even add sugar if you think the sambal needs it, though I don’t usually add any to mine.
- 5
Pan-fried chicken
- 6
Cut each peach of chicken breast into two halves so they are thinner and will cook faster and more evenly. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, then give a light dusting of all-purpose flour.
- 7
Heat oil and/or butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat, and fry chicken breasts until golden brown and crispy, about 2-3 minutes per side.
- 8
Rest for 10 minutes after frying to redistribute its juice and making sure the breasts are tender and juicy, then cut into thin strips.
- 9
To serve
- 10
Mix chicken strips and sambal matah right before serving. We usually serve this with steamed white rice, but you can add them you a bowl of salad mix for a filling salad meal too.