Mrs Lee's Ayam Siow

another scrumptious recipe from the new Mrs Lee Cookbook!

Ayam Siow
(grilled chicken served in a thick tamarind sauce)

ingredients:
1 whole chicken or chicken parts (drumsticks, thighs and wings)
2 tbsp oil
½ cucumber, sliced

Marinade
5 rounded tbsp tarmarind pulp
450ml water
10 shallots (i used 450g of red onions)
2 tbsp coriander powdr
120 g sugar
1 ½ tbsp dark soy sauce
1 ½ tbsp vinegar
2 ¼ tbsp salt
1 ½ tsp pepper

Preparation
1. Prepare the tamarind marinade with the 450ml water. (Soak for 15 mins and then sieve. Alternatively, buy the ready to use, de-seeded type)
2. Peel and finely pound the shallots.
3. Toast the coriander powder in a toaster oven or by dry frying over a low flame.
4. In a large pot, mix all the ingredients together for the marinade into the tamarinde marinade.
5. Cut the chicken pieces and rinse. Place chicken in the marinade. Cover and refridgerate for 12 hours or overnight.

Method:
Place the entire pot of chicken on the stove. Bring to the boil, then simmer until the meat is tender (about 30 minute)
Remove and drain the chicken, returning the marinade to the pot.
Simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens
Grill the chicken til golden brown. (as you can see from the picture, the chicken was black instead of 'gold' cos i forgot about them in the grill! :P)
Serve the thicken sauce over the chicken. Garnish with sliced cucumbers

comments: this recipe was invented in the time before refrigeration and the herbs and spices were actually able to preserve the chicken quite a long time....up to a week it seems! Amazing, isn't it?? And needless to say, it is extremely flavourful!