Nasi Lemak with Chicken Rendang

I love nasi lemak, especially if taken as breakfast. It is a very hearty and appetising breakfast which can lasts quite long before your stomach start growling again....LOL. Normally, I wouldn't cook nasi lemak for breakfast as I do not have the energy to wake up so early just to prepare breakfast. Preparing breakfast during weekday morning should be a breeze with simple food like bread and butter or sardine sandwiches, which requires minimal cooking or reheated steamed buns which has been prepared earlier. If I crave for nasi lemak for breakfast, I will just buy from the stall and if I buy from outside, I will definitely choose cockles sambal.

I will only cook nasi lemak for dinner as it is when everybody will be at home and we can all have warm and hearty dinner together. I have cooked nasi lemak countless of time and I have also cooked chicken rendang before but I have never pair them together. Last week, I cooked nasi lemak with chicken rendang especially for dearest sister who have not tasted rendang this round when she was back in Malaysia. Tried to feed her as much Malaysian food as possible before she flies back to US. Her flight back to US was yesterday and I have already misses her so much.

When making rendang, I like to prepare my own spice paste. I know there are many brands of ready-to-mix rendang paste that are sold in the market but I have never use them before nor have I ever thought of using. For me, food prepare from scratch would be the freshest. One of mum's many specialties is chicken rendang. Since young, all of us have tasted mum's style of chicken rendang and got accustomed to its taste. Unlike others, mum's chicken rendang does not have much varieties of spices and it is very simple with just few ingredients. I do not like complicated taste. So, it is just nice for me. All these years, I also do not add additional ingredients but just follow her original recipe to this day. I do not feel that any changes is necessary. I also do not want other ingredient to contaminate my memory of mum's perfect chicken rendang. Just like mum, I also like my chicken rendang with potatoes.

When making rendang, I like to do it the traditional way. I mean the processing of the ingredients, not cooking using charcoal. ;-D Till this day, I am still using my humble mortar and pestle to pound the spices used in making rendang. I do not like to use food processor as more water is needed to operate it which will dilute the aroma and taste of the spices. As for the chicken, I cut it into bite-sized pieces and marinated it with salt and turmeric powder overnight. Previously, I have never marinated it. I believe mum also never marinated her chicken when preparing her chicken rendang. Since I have turmeric powder at home, I just thought of marinating it. It doesn't really make much difference. So, to marinate or not to marinate is up to you.

Toasting grated coconut

Toasted grated coconut 

Pounded grated coconut

Mum's Chicken Rendang

Ingredients

Roughly 1 kg chicken

1 Chinese rice bowl of shallots

1/2 Chinese rice bowl of garlic

3 - 4 stalks lemongrass

10 dried chillies, boiled till soft (more if prefer more spicy)

1 inch ginger

1 inch turmeric

25g chicken curry powder

1/2 shredded coconut, toasted till brown and pounded

3 pcs potatoes, quartered and fried

Cooking oil

Water

1-2 sprigs curry leaves

4 stalks lemongrass, bruised

Coconut milk

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. If prefer, marinate chicken overnight with salt and turmeric powder. The salt and turmeic powder is not in the ingredient list.

2. Pound shallots, garlic, lemongrass, dried chillies, ginger and turmeric into a fine paste.

3. Heat the wok with cooking oil. Add in curry leaves and bruised lemongrass. 

4. Add in the pounded paste and curry powder. Stir for a while till you can smell the aroma of the spices and see the oil separated from the spices.

5. Add in the chicken pieces. Stir-fry for a few minutes. Then add in water. Let it come to a boil and keep stirring once in a while to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the wok. Add salt to taste.

6. Add in the fried potatoes. Let it simmer. Once the gravy reduced, add in the toasted and pounded coconut. 

7. Add in coconut milk to your preference. If you are more health-conscious add lesser. If you prefer it to be creamier, add more.

8. Once the gravy thicken to desired consistency, turn off the flame.