Nasi Ayam (Malaysian-styled chicken rice)
Never did it cross my mind that I would take cooking to a whole new level of passion. Before this, I was already grateful that I know how to cook maggie (pfft!) to prolong my survival when ibu is not around. Nasi ayam sounds waaayyyyy too complicated than it is. Actually it is simple but of course, if you don't do it right, it's still not going to taste yummy. By learning how to make nasi ayam, you will also acquire the skills to make sup ayam (chicken soup)! Double shot. Now, who doesn't like that? ;)
Ingredients:
Rice
Onions, ginger and garlic (chopped)
Chicken (chopped into several-medium sized parts)
Oyster sauce/soy sauce/black pepper sauce/BBQ sauce (either one to flavour the chicken)
Fresh chilies (4-5)
A cup of vinegar
1/2 cup of sugar
Sup bunjut (spices) *optional
Ajinomoto (seasoning)
Salt
Oil
There are four components in a good nasi ayam dish: chicken soup, chicken rice, fried chicken and chilli sauce.
To prepare chicken rice, we start with making chicken soup.
1. Heat the oil up in the pan.
2. Toss in the chopped onions, ginger and garlic and fry them until they become brown and the smell rises.
3. Put in the sliced chicken into the pan and let them there for a few minutes, stir occasionally.
4. Now pour in water (don't put too much but not too less either because you'll need it to cook rice and leave some for the soup).
5. Put in the sup bunjut, sprinkle some Ajinomoto and salt. At this point, make sure you're cooking the soup using small fire. Stir occasionally while waiting for the soup to boil.
6. Now, taste the soup. Does it need more salt? If so, sprinkle in salt until the taste is just right.
7. Separate the chicken from the soup and put it in a tupperware or a big bowl whichever suits you.
Chicken rice
1. Wash your rice.
2. Pour the chicken soup into the rice cooker just like you pour in water to cook rice.
3. Sprinkle some turmeric powder to make the rice slightly yellowish.
4. Turn on your rice cooker and now, refocus yourself to the chicken.
Fried chicken
1. To give the chicken some flavour, I usually use oyster sauce.
2. Before frying, smear the chicken with oyster sauce (or any sauce you intend to use) and keep them in a container for a good 15 minutes.
3. Next, you can start heating up oil in your wok and fry your chicken parts until they're brown.
*You don't get dark brown fried chicken when you use oyster sauce, usually they turn slightly brown. If you still want your chicken to get dark brown, mix it with a bit of soy sauce to give it the colour.
4. Don't forget to sprinkle some salt!
Chili sauce
1. Blend in some fresh chilies (4-5) together with a cup of vinegar and half a cup of sugar (you can add more sugar if you want) using a blender (duh). And the sauce is supposed to be runny.
2. It's done! That's all. hahah
Tadaa! Now, you can decorate your dish the way you like it. And the chicken rice is done. :)
There are some parts in Malaysia that serve the chicken rice with kicap as well but I'm not really sure how they make kicap so feel free to use store-bought kicap. The difference is not obvious though. Well, I guess.
