Ayam Rica-Rica: Manado Spicy Fried Chicken
This mouth-watering fried chicken sauteed in sambal is a regional specialty of Manado, North Sulawesi. It’s meant to be extremely spicy, and is cooked with chillies and numerous herbs. This dish has taken the whole of Indonesia by storm!
- Prep time
- 45 min
- Cook time
- 40 min
- Yield
- 3 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1/2 chicken, portioned
- 5 chilies, bird’s eye
- 5 chilies, big red
- 7 shallots
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 cm ginger
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and knotted
- 5 lime leaves
- 3 red tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tbs lime juice
- 200 gr kemangi (Indonesian basil). Use Thai basil if not available.
- 3 tbs vegetable oil
- Half cup vegetable oil
- Salt to taste
- Half tsp sugar
- ⅓ cup water
Instructions
- 1
Wash the chicken thoroughly.
- 2
Rub the chicken with half tsp salt and 2 tbs vinegar or lime juice, and let it marinate for 15 minutes. Then drain the liquid.
- 3
Using a food processor or blender, blend the shallots, garlic and ginger into a coarse paste. Set aside. This will be Paste 1.
- 4
Separately, blend the red chillies and bird’s eye chillies. Set aside. This will be Paste 2.
- 5
Heat half cup of oil in a wok and fry the chicken for about 5 minutes on each side. Set aside.
- 6
Using another wok, heat 3 tbs vegetable oil, sauté Paste 1 for 4 minutes or until fragrant, then add paste 2. Fry for about 2 minutes.
- 7
Add the lemongrass and lime leaves, sauté for another 2 minutes or until fragrant.
- 8
Add the chopped tomatoes, salt and sugar.
- 9
Add the chicken, lime juice and water. Stir well.
- 10
Cook for about 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Adjust the seasoning.
- 11
Add the basil leaves. Cook for about 2 minutes.