Serving
Click to Enlarge

Chicken Besegnek
Indonesia
- Ayam Besegnek
Serves
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:
2 main  
***
1 hr
All
This is an intensely flavorful curry (but not chili hot). Serve it with plenty of steamed Jasmine rice. Bumbu Besegnek is a spice mix used particularly with chicken. It's sold commercially in Indonesia but probably not where you live. It's better made fresh anyway.


1-1/4
5
1
1
2
ar
1-1/2
1/2
6
1
1/4
------
1
1/3
2
1/3
1/3
------
#
oz
cl
T


T
t
oz
T
t
---
t
t
t
t
t
---
Chicken (1)
Onion
Garlic
Tamarind (2)
Candlenuts (3)
Oil for deep fry
Oil
Palm Sugar
Coconut Milk
Soy Sauce
Salt
--- Besegnek
Coriander seed
Cumin seed
Galangal root
Chili powder
Belacan (4)
------------
    Prep
  1. Cut CHICKEN into largish bite size pieces. If using whole chicken parts (legs, thighs, wings) chop each part in half crosswise. A sharp Chinese cleaver knife driven by a soft faced mallet is perfect for this.
  2. Chop ONIONS fine, chop GARLIC fine, mix.
  3. Grind together All Besegnek items very fine. You can pound it in a large stone mortar (most authentic) - or use a mini-prep food processor.
  4. Prepare TAMARIND as required.
  5. Grind CANDLENUTS fine.
  6. Run
  7. Heat Oil enough for deep fry over high flame in an kadhai, iron chicken fryer or wok and fry Chicken until lightly browned. Scoop out with a slotted spoon, drain and set aside. Do this in small batches so the chicken browns before it drys out - it doesn't take any longer that way.
  8. Heat 1-1/2 T Oil in a spacious sauté pan or wok and gently fry Onion mix stirring until medium brown, being careful not to burn at all.
  9. Stir in the Besegnek Mix and fry stirring for about 2 minutes.
  10. Stir in Tamarind, Candlenuts and Palm Sugar, then stir in the Coconut Milk and bring to a boil stirring constantly. Cover and turn down to a simmer for about 5 minutes.
  11. Stir Soy Sauce and Salt, then Chicken. Bring back to a simmer, cover and simmer for 3/4 hour, turning occasionally, Watch that it doesn't get too dry.
  12. Serve with plenty of steamed Jasmine rice.
NOTES:
  1. Chicken:   The weight given is for skinless boneless pieces (preferably thigh). In Indonesia it would more likely be bone in pieces or a whole chicken chopped into serving pieces, just add 1/4 pound if you use bone in joints.
  2. Tamarind:   Use either compressed seedless block or a prepared paste. One T of block, soaked and strained is about the same as 1T paste. For details see our Tamarind page.
  3. Candlenuts:   I don't really recommend these because they're usually rancid by time they're on the shelf in North America. Raw brazil nuts are the best substitute (if you can get them) or macadamias or twice the number of raw cashews (which you can probably actually get).
  4. Belacan:  (Indonesian Terasi) is a block form of shrimp paste and quite . . umm . . aromatic. Other shrimp pastes can be used, but the Thai variety is a bit too civilized. For details see our Shrimp Sauce / Paste page.
  5. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch
smc_chkbeseg1 ! 080625 a223   -   www.clovegarden.com
©Andrew Grygus - info@clovegarden.com - Linking to and non-commercial use of this page permitted