Nasi Bakar Ayam Suwir: Grilled Rice with Shredded Chicken
Nasi bakar ayam suwir is a dish of grilled rice with shredded chicken. Nasi bakar, or grilled rice, is a delicious dish of rice wrapped in banana leaves, and then grilled for a charred, smokey flavour.
- Prep time
- 40 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 20 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 500 gr uncooked rice
- 1 tbsp small dried anchovies (optional)
- 1 lemongrass, use only the white parts, cut into smaller stalks, bruised
- 2 kaffir lime leaves, shred into half
- 1 salam leaf, shred into half
- 500 ml water
- 1 small packet ready-to-use coconut milk (around 65 ml)
- 300 gr chicken breast fillet
- 3 big red chillies (2 chopped, 1 sliced diagonally)
- 3 bird’s eye chillies (optional)
- 8 peeled shallots (5 chopped, 3 thinly sliced)
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled, chopped
- 3 cm fresh turmeric, peeled, chopped
- 2 cm ginger, peeled chopped
- 2 cm galangal, peeled, chopped
- 2 candlenuts, chopped
- 1 small spring onion, chopped
- 1 handful kemangi (Indonesian basil leaves)
- 1 tomato, deseeded, chopped (optional)
- Salt to taste
- Pinch of sugar (optional)
- 4 tbsp cooking oil
- Fresh banana leaves for wrapping
- Toothpick to secure the banana leaves
Instructions
- 1
Wash the rice thoroughly, set aside
- 2
Heat 2 tbsp cooking oil in a frying pan, and fry the 3 thinly sliced shallots until fragrant and almost golden.
- 3
Add the dried anchovies, and continue frying until the shallots and anchovies turn golden brown.
- 4
Add the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and daun salam, and fry until fragrant, around 1 minute. Set aside.
- 5
Put the rice in a rice cooker, add the water, fried herbs, coconut milk and a pinch of salt.
- 6
Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and cook the rice as indicated in the rice cooker.
- 7
When the rice is done, leave it in the warm mode for about 10 -15 minutes to let it set, then carefully open the lid and fluff the rice. Set aside.
- 8
Wash the chicken thoroughly, and then steam for around 15 minutes. Leave it to cool and then shred to smaller pieces. Set aside.
- 9
Using a food processor, blend into a fine paste: 2 chopped big chillies, 3 bird’s eye chilli, 5 chopped shallots, garlic, turmeric, ginger, candlenuts and galangal.
- 10
Heat 2 tbsp of cooking oil in a wok over medium high flame, and sauté the blended spices until fragrant, around 4 minutes.
- 11
Add the shredded chicken fillet.
- 12
Add a little bit of water (around 100 ml) to prevent it from burning.
- 13
Add salt and sugar.
- 14
Cook the chicken over medium heat for about 15 minutes until all the liquid has evaporated.
- 15
Add the sliced spring onion, red chilli, diced tomato and daun kemangi.
- 16
Cook for about 2 minutes, and turn off the heat.
- 17
Clean the banana leaves using a piece of cloth or paper towel to remove the dirt.
- 18
Cut the leaf around 11 cm, keeping the smaller pieces for the inside.
- 19
Place 1 big banana leaf piece with the inner side facing you, and place the smaller piece on top, in the centre.
- 20
Put 1 scoop of rice, add the chicken breast filling on top of the rice.
- 21
Then put another scoop of rice to cover it.
- 22
Compress the rice using both hands to create a dense, long oval shape ricecake.
- 23
Carefully roll the banana leaf to wrap the rice.
- 24
Compress the rice using a small spoon, one side at a time before securing it with a toothpick.
- 25
Do the same thing for the rest of the rice and the chicken filling.
- 26
Steam the rice for about 15 minutes (optional) and grill the parcel until the leaves are charred.
- 27
Serve while it’s still hot.