Ayam Masak Merah (Malaysian tomato chicken)
Ayam Masak Merah (Malaysian inspired tomato chicken) is savoury, sweet, spicy & flavourful. Chicken in red sauce has never tasted better!
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN
- 1 kg chicken thigh fillets (skinless and boneless) (NOTE 1)
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
FOR THE SPICE PASTE
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 5 garlic cloves
- 25 gm ginger (peeled and chopped roughly)
- 3 small eschalots (roughly chopped) (NOTE 2)
- 2 lemongrass stalks (white part only, thinly sliced) (NOTE 3)
- 3 large red chillies (roughly chopped)
- ½ tsp chilli powder (more or less to taste)
FOR THE PAN
- 1 cinnamon quill
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 star anise (NOTE 4)
- ½ cup coconut cream (regular, not light)
- ½ cup passata (or tomato puree) (NOTE 5)
- 2 tbsp ketchup (or tomato sauce)
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 tbsp brown sugar (firmly packed)
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, rub the turmeric and 1 tsp of salt onto the chicken. Set aside for 10 minutes. In the meantime, work on the spice paste.
- For the spice paste - Place all the spice paste ingredients in a food processor and blitz until finely chopped.
- Browning chicken - Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Working 3 or 4 chicken pieces at a time, brown them for 2 minutes on each side (they don't need to be cooked completely at this stage). Transfer the chicken onto a large plate and set aside for later.
- We'll be using the same pan, so if there's too much oil remaining after browning the chicken, remove some of it using paper towels and tongs. A thin layer of oil left on the base of the pan is good. Otherwise, the sauce will end up being too oily. Heat the frying pan over medium-high heat, then place in the spice paste along with the cinnamon, bay leaf and star anise. Stir regularly for 2 to 3 minutes or until fragrant, then add in the coconut cream. Stir regularly until the oil separates (you'll see oil form around the spice mixture)
- Once the oil separates, add the passata, ketchup, water, brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp of salt. Allow the sauce to come to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through. The sauce should have reduced and thickened nicely. Serve Ayam Masak Merah with steamed rice and enjoy!
Notes
(NOTE 1) Chicken thighs - The Ayam Masak Merah we had in Malaysia had chicken pieces with skin and bone-in. For convenience, I used boneless and skinless chicken thighs because it's faster to cook. If you wish to use bone-in chicken pieces, allow extra cooking time.
(NOTE 2) Eschalots - I've seen shallots called 'eschalots' or 'French shallots' here. Shallots look like small brown onions but are skinny and oval-shaped, and when cut open they look like red onions. They're difficult to peel and are more expensive than other types of onions. Shallots are mild in flavour compared to onions, but you could use brown (yellow) onions as a substitute.
(NOTE 3) Lemongrass - Cut 2cm off from the base (or the root) of the lemongrass and keep 10-15cm of the stalk from the base. Discard the remaining leafy part or save them for making stock. Peel off 2 to 3 layers to expose the pale part of the stalk, then chop them into thin rings.
(NOTE 4) Star anise is a beautiful looking spice, shaped like a flower. It's quite strong with liquorice flavour. You would usually find star anise stocked in the herbs and spice section of the supermarket.
(NOTE 5) Passata (pureed tomatoes) - Passata is pureed tomatoes that have been strained for a smooth consistency. Supermarkets usually stock passata near canned tomatoes and pasta sauces. Crushed tomatoes would also work.
Leftovers - Allow the dish to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer them into a sealed container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
I've used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 servingCalories: 380kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 34gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 158mgSodium: 791mgPotassium: 753mgFiber: 2gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 439IUVitamin C: 37mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 3mg