Having lived in Singapore for more than a decade has made me develop a sense of love and respect for its cuisine and culture. It is one such country where you can taste the whole world without even leaving the island. The whole idea of “Sambal” predominantly belongs to Malaysia. Due to the high concentration of Malay population in Singapore, Malaysian food has always played a significant role in influencing the gourmet culture of this nation. Hence undoubtedly SAMBAL is quite popular in Singapore. It is basically a blend of fresh chillies or dried red chillies. In order to mellow down the spiciness imparted from the chillies, ingredients such as tomatoes and lime juice are heavily used in sambal dishes. Sambal can be used to prepare almost any dish, namely a few being Sambal Ayam (Chicken), Sambal Udang (Prawns), Sambal Telur (Egg sambal) and even Sambal Ikan (Fish). It’s a fiery dish mostly enjoyed with white rice. So that pretty much says it all – sambal is a popular condiment in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia and is the basic building block for Malaysian food.
Traditionally Sambal Chicken is prepared with a huge amount of oil. However, when I make this at home, I try to keep the usage of oil to as minimal as possible and yet it’s super delicious. The chicken is marinated for a few hours with turmeric and ginger garlic paste. All said and done, this recipe is a keeper. When you are in a mood to eat something super spicy, sambal will be a winner to keep you up and running behind a glass of water after every bite. 😀 Just kidding!! But hey, keeping aside the heartburn which might look scary, occasional spice attacks are good for you! Not a fan of crazy spicy food? Just add in more tomatoes and lime juice to cut down the level of heat. I always feel good after having spicy food; you see spicy foods like sambal generate feel-good hormones, at least they certainly have a positive impact on me!! 😀
Ingredients:
Chicken – 1/2 kg
Dried red chillies – 8-10 (depending on how much heat you can handle)
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Onion – 1 large
Garlic cloves – 6-7
Ginger- 1 large piece
Tomatoes – 2 large finely chopped
Cinnamon sticks – 2-3
Star anise – 1
Coconut milk – 2 tbsp
Lemongrass – 1 stalk
Lime juice – juice of 1/2 a lemon
Salt – as per taste
Method:
Soak the dried red chillies in luke warm water for at least 30 mins. Make a fine paste of it using very little water.
Marinate the chicken with turmeric and ginger-garlic paste for at least an hour.
Blend the onions, ginger and garlic into a fine paste using little water.
Heat some oil in a pan. Add the cinnamon sticks and star anise. (forgot to click the star anise !)
Add the paste of the onions, ginger and garlic. Cook for a few mins on high heat. Then add in the dried chilli paste.
Mix well and cook for a few mins. Then add in the chopped tomatoes. Cook this down until the tomatoes are mushy and it forms a nice saucy base for the dish.
Then add in the marinated chicken. Mix well and cook for a few mins on high heat with the lid open.
Add the coconut milk and a stalk of the lemongrass. Add salt and mix well.
Cover the pan and cook for at least 20 mins or until the chicken is well done.
In the end add the lemon juice. Do a taste test to check the seasoning.
Sambal chicken will be ready to serve. Carefully remove the lemongrass stalk before serving.
Serve this delicious sambal chicken with cooked rice and enjoy the flavors of beautiful Sambal. Believe me, you will feel as if you are enjoying the taste of Singapore and Malaysia within the comforts of your home!
I want this badly. 😱😍😘
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Cook it and eat it 😀
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😍😍😍😘
Or I can stare at your post for hours. 😅
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😁You could do that if you feel like. I won’t mind at all!😆
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Yayyy😝😝😊😊👻
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This looks so yummy! Thanks for sharing,though can’t cook but love reading and watching pictures.
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Thank you so much😀
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I can tell this is another great recipe. Thanks Mona.
Leslie
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Thank you Leslie😀
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😉
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It’s absolutely delicious….I love to have this along with some hot roti😃
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Never had this with roti….sounds like a great idea though😀. Thank you😄
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Seeing those red peppers in something always makes me happy! My wife, not so much. 🙂 -Curt
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Hahah! You always get married to your opposite nature. That’s the beauty of love 💕. Thank you Curt😀
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Looks good
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Thank you Steve☺
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My stomach won’t handle things too spicy hot, but I’ll just tone down the amount of chilies.
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Certainly Sir you can reduce the chilies to adjust the heat. Thank you ☺
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That looks very tasty!
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It’s indeed delicious. Thank you Vanessa☺
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Ignited my chicken cravings at midnight !
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Hahah! It just would cos it’s so good! Thank you Archya 😃
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This sounds and looks delicious like all your recipes. And I am a big Sambal fan, I even put it on my peanut butter sandwiches, it’s really good honestly 🙂
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Thank you Hon😃. Putting sambal on a peanut butter sandwich is new to me. Sounds super intetesting though. Will try it soon. A completely new take on Sambal😃Thank you!!
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It looks delicious. I am going to try it this time I go home.
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Thank you Madhumita. I am sure you will love it😃
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I am sure too! 🙂
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Mona I love spicy food…I would love to try this with veggies:)…Although I use lemongrass to make chai, I’m eager to try it in a curry:)
We had visited Singapore in 2013 & had fallen in love with the place!
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Wow in 2013 you were here? How I wish I had known you at that time so we could have met up! 😍 Do try it with veggies Divya. It will be equally good!
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Looks delicious and tasty!
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Thank you dear😃
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Wow Mona! Chicken ta Darun dekhte hoyeche,recipe ta khub bhalo ,love lemongrass ,I should try this sometime.😃
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Thank you Payel. Lemongrass gives it an authentic flavor typically found in a sambal dish. Try korish. Asha kori bhalo lagbe😃
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Nischoi , thanks for the recipe 😊
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I should try this delicious sounding dish! I could use a drop of lemongrass essential oil if I don’t have the real thing right?
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Yes Kim you could add the oil for flavor. Do try and let me know how it turns out for you. Thank you!
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Will do!
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Darun dish.Banate hobey.Dekhei jibhe jol eshe gelo.
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Thank you Anuradha di. Bhalo laglo shune😃
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My pleasure Mona.
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Why did you do this to me Mona???????? Now, my mouth is watering!!!
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Lol! So glad you like it Utkarshini😄
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I lived there half decade 😛 but still na this type of chicken naaaa
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I am sure you must be missing this type of chicken!! It is indeed delicious😄
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Looks great! Looking at this page makes me hungry lol
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Thank you! Have a great day😃
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You too; enjoy your weekend 😎
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😍😋😋😋
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😍😄😄
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The spicy aroma of this dish cooking must be wonderful! YUM❗️
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Yes indeed it is aromatic and full of flavors. Thank you😃
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I love sambal and the best dish I like is Nasi Lemak…… love them whenever we go for holidays to kl we have a must eat list and nasi lemak is one among them and old town white cafe’s sambal chicken. yummmmmmmm …… I want some Lisa.
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Thank you dear. Even I love nasi lemak too.😄 Where do you live…somewhere in malaysia?
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Yes. My husband is a Malaysian and we were in Malaysia after marriage for 9 years. Then in Cairo, Egypt for two years and now in Nairobi, Kenya.
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Oh nice to know that👍😃
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I never knew there are varied types of sambal. Tried once and was too hot!! Will try this. Thanks for this share Mona.
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My pleasure dear Sumith! Onam is here…how are the preps going?
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Expecting at least 5 sadays, on a diet now:)
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Hahah! I will be visiting with friends a famous keralite joint in the town. They will serve sadya for the whole of this coming week😃
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Make more kerala friend, and get sadhya counts more😂😂
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I am sure it’s just a bonus to have more Kerala friends 😆
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It looks so colorful !
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Yes indeed. Thanks!☺
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Wondeful recipe!! I love spicy food but always have to take care not to overdo it because my stomach isn´t as much a fan as I am 😉 So thank you for the advice of how to cut down the heat level with lime juice and tomatoes, I´ll definitely try this next time 🙂
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Thanks so much Sarah. I know when the tummy doesn’t allow, we have to be extra cautious. 😆
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Too true 😉
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Amazing!
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Thank you Izzie!😄
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You’re welcome 😀
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Looks yummy with creamy texture
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Thank you Anu😊
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Nice One .
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Thank you
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Welcome.
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Looks so Captivating and Delicious!!☺👍
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Thank you😊
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looks sooo yummy… 😛
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Thank you Rashmi 🙂
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welcome.. 🙂
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I can’t imagine how good that would smell while cooking! Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing!
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Oh yes I wish you were here to witness the wonderful flavors & aroma of this dish. Thank you so much😊
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This looks so yummy!
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Thank you Swapna😊
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If I get hold of coconut milk tomorrow will try it out tomorrow itself
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Let me know how you like it 😊
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Will do. Will love it because coconut is a staple base
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Nice recipe, Mona. Can I use schezwan sauce in the place of red chilli paste?
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You can dear but then it will be a different dish altogether😊. But no harm in trying😁. Let me know how it turns out with schezuan sauce😊
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OK, different dish hour jabe 😮! Lazy achi.tai fakibaji kore bhalo dish bananor dhanda kori😜.
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Hahaha! Bhaloi to. Orom kore ekta aladai moja😁
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That chicken looks amazing.
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I cooked this chicken curry with specification by halving the items for 1/4 kg chicken. I did not have lemon grass, so instead, I used lemon crest piece.
The chicken curry turned out super delicious.
Kudos to the author of the recipe and thanks very much for sharing this homely recipe.
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