Three Ways to Make Indonesian Spicy Chicken

My Three Favourite Recipes for Indonesian style chicken, easily made in any kitchen, by any level of cook and guaranteed to spice up your life!

Indonesian food is one of the most vibrant and colourful cuisines in the world, full of intense flavour and varied textures. It's as diverse as the Indonesian culture, with culinary influences from China, Europe and India.

That's why it's so rich in flavours and, unlike food from anywhere else, as much about the aroma as the taste. It's spicy, delicious, brightly coloured and richly scented.

Before we start, let's have a look at the common foods used through Indonesia. If you're used to eating large portions of meat, then a couple of days in the week of Indonesian fare should do you the world of good. Meat is a side dish, not the main source of protein in Indonesia.

A meal usually consists of a main rice, nasi, dish with a combination of meat, fish, chicken, vegetable and egg dishes as accompaniment.

Tahu, tofu, soybean cake, and tempe, the fermented soybeans, both good sources of protein, are liberally used in Indonesian dishes.

Coriander and cumin, together with chillies, lemon grass, coconut, galangal, kecap manis, a sweet soy sauce, and palm sugar, along with the chilli sauce, sambal, make up most of the tastes of Indonesia.

Some ingredients may not be readily obtainable and I've given substitutes, as far as possible, which should be on your supermarket shelves or found at the greengrocers or an Asian supermarket..

These are waxy nuts that look similar to a large hazelnut.

The nuts are ground before use and should never be eaten raw. They're rich in oil, so rich that on some of the Indonesian Islands, people string them together and use as candles.

Ground candlenuts are often used to thicken Indonesian curries.

Substitutes:

Macadamia nuts - The closest substitute in taste and texture

Brazil nuts - Three times as large as candlenuts, so use fewer.

Raw cashews - Use two cashews for every candlenut

Blanched almonds - Use two almonds for every candlenut.

Tempeh is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form.

Because the whole bean is kept, temphe has a high content of protein and vitamins. It also gives it a good firm texture and a lovely strong flavour.

It's especially popular on the island of Java, where it's a staple source of protein. People in the Jakarta prectinct have the highest known soy intake in the world and, accordingly, of the isoflavones in soy.

This provides a unique opportunity to consider the health effects of tempe. Apparent health benefits are bowel health, protection against cardiovascular disease, certain cancers such as breast and prostate, and menopausal health (including bone health).

Tempeh is an incredibly efficient food.

Rhizomes are knobby underground stems that have pungent and full of flavour, such as the hot, ginger-peppery galangal.

Greater galangal is also called Laos ginger, Thai ginger and sometimes even Siamese ginger. It's the best known and most widely available.

This creamy white-fleshed rhizome can be found in Asian markets.

Tamarind is used as a souring agent that adds a pleasant fruity taste and, like lime juice, it also tenderises.

Tamarind pods are sometimes available fresh from Asian markets and other ethnic grocery stores, but they may not always be the sour varieties and won't give consistent results in cooking.

Substitutes

Tamarind Paste - For each teaspoon of tamarind paste use two tablespoons of lime or lemon juice.

Tamarind Water - Combine 4 parts dark brown sugar and 3 parts lime or lemon juice