After yesterday's failed attempt at making kuih buah malaka, it was extremely satisfying to prepare a lunch which not only met expectations but exceeded them. Today's meal consisted of two dishes, ayam kleo (fragrant coconut chicken) and gado-gado (blanched Indonesian vegetables with a spicy peanut sauce).
First let me say that I'd never actually tried this dish before, so I was in for a real surprise. My cookbook tells me it's a favorite in Malaysia, and no wonder! The fragrant and saliva-inducing combination of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk, chillies, garlic, and turmeric was a sure-bet from the get-go, daddy-o. Kowabunga! This was so delicious, savory, and wonderful that it is destined to become a regular player in my regular culinary regime. Certainly one of the best and most exciting dishes I've had in recent years.
I also prepared a side of gado-gado, or Indonesian blanched vegetable salad with spicy peanut sauce. Preparation of the ayam kleo was not easy, so I took a shortcut here and used pre-prepared pecel dressing. This was actually the first time I'd prepared this dish with chayote and I really enjoyed the addition. Chayotes are incresingly one of my favorite vegetables, with their sweet but crunchy texture... very reminiscent of a green mango or papaya in some ways. I look forward to using them more diversely.
1. To prepare the ayam kleo, I began by making a mixed chili paste by pureeing shallots, garlic, chili peppers, galangal, and 1.5 tsp turmeric.
2. The chicken was then marinated for an hour by mixing it with 1 tsp salt, juice from one lime, and 2 tsp of the mixed chili paste.
3. After one hour, the chicken was placed in the oven and baked at 450F until it began to brown.
4. Meanwhile, I created the fragrant sauce by sautéing 1 stalk of chopped lemongrass and 2 shredded kaffir lime leaves in oil. To this I added 1 cup of coconut milk, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp tamarind water, and 5 tsp of the mixed chili paste. The chicken was then cooked slowly on a low flame for 20 minutes, turning the chicken occasionally.
Wanna dance tonight. Here's what I'm listening to:
Title: Gimme Gimme Cha Cha Heels | Play Song: 
Artist: Eartha Kitt & Bronski Beat
Album: Where Is My Man?
Comments
I loves me some Eartha Kitt. That's a fun song, too!
Posted by: Marc | January 30, 2006 01:54 PM
Glad you liked that, Marc! It was a big hit in Europe when I lived there and here seemingly nobody's ever heard of it. Glad to do my part to bring back the camp classics. ;-)
Posted by: Evil Jonny | January 31, 2006 06:59 PM
Terrific photography!
I can't tell you how many food blogs have no pictures at all, never mind well-lit, crisp ones that capture the colors and texture so nicely.
One thing you might consider is more step-by-step photos -- like the raw ingredients and intermediate stages.
Mahanandi is a good example: http://www.nandyala.org/mahanandi
Posted by: Joe Grossberg | February 1, 2006 01:28 PM
I am in awe! Your photos made me homesick of my home country's cooking. Have you had another go at Kuih Buah Melaka? Because I have a very simple recipe for you to use.
Posted by: Sriperwira | February 19, 2007 01:48 PM