Chicken rendang with cardamom

Name: Chicken rendang with cardamom
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Malaysian
Ingredients: 6 eschalots (French shallots), peeled; 4 garlic cloves, peeled; 4cm piece fresh turmeric peeled (or 1 tsp of ground); 4cm piece fresh galangal (or ginger) root, peeled; 2 or more small red chilli

Steve Manfredi

February 23, 2023

Chicken rendang with cardamom.Jennifer Soo

Time:1-2 hoursServes:4

In the chicken rendang recipe given here, the cracked pods all but melt as they slowly cook in the coconut milk and can be eaten without fear.

Ingredients

For the paste

6 eschalots (French shallots), peeled
4 garlic cloves, peeled
4cm piece fresh turmeric peeled (or 1 tsp of ground)
4cm piece fresh galangal (or ginger) root, peeled
2 or more small red chilli

For the rendang

4 chicken Marylands (thigh and drumstick)
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cinnamon sticks
3 whole star anise
10 green cardamom pods
650ml unsweetened coconut milk
4 lemongrass stalks (bottom 5cm-6cm only, 2 to 3 tough outer layers discarded)
1 tsp tamarind pulp
1 tsp sugar
5 makrut lime leaves
4 long sweet red chilli
salt

Method

Make the paste by putting its ingredients, roughly chopped, in a food processor with a few tablespoons of water till it is pureed.
Heat the oil in a saucepan and lightly fry the cinnamon, star anise and cardamom for two to three minutes stirring constantly. Add the paste and fry, always stirring, for five minutes.
Add the coconut milk, lemongrass, tamarind, sugar, lime leaves and a couple of pinches of salt. Stir and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered.
Add the chicken and the long chillies and continue to simmer gently for an hour or so, stirring every 10 minutes, till the liquid has concentrated and sticks to the chicken pieces.
Serve with steamed jasmine rice.