Life is Great

Rendang Ayam Pedas (Spicy Dry Chicken Curry)
Adapted from a recipe from a friend of Mahariz Muzaffar.

• 1 whole chicken, cut up into 12 pieces


• 100 grams dried chilies, soaked and drains


• 200 grams shallots


• 2 cloves garlic


• 2 stalks lemongrass (pounded)


• 5 kaffir lime leaves


• 2 inches galangal


• 3 centimeters ginger


• 2 turmeric leaves


• thick coconut milk from 2 coconuts


• 4 tablespoons toasted grated coconut (kerisik)


• peanut oil


• salt to taste

To prepare the kerisik or toasted coconut, add grated coconut to a dry wok and stir continuously until they turn golden brown. Blend the shallots, garlic, galangal and ginger into a paste in a food processor or blender.

Heat up some peanut oil in a large wok or a heavy stew pot. Saute the blended paste over high heat till fragrant. Blend the chilies and add it to the wok. Reduce the heat to medium high. Once the chili is cooked (about 5 minutes), add the coconut milk, turmeric leaves and lemongrass.

Cook until the mix has thickened somewhat (about 3 minutes), add the chicken, kerisik and kaffir lime leaves. Add salt to taste and cook until oil from the coconut milk has split (referred to as pecah/naik minyak in Malay). The dryness of the rendang is up to your taste. I like it dry, the gravy is paste like and adheres to the meat.

Serve with nasi minyak (ghee rice, recipe following) or plain warm rice.

Nasi Minyak (Ghee Rice)
Adapted from Najah Nasseri's recipe.

• 4 cups basmati rice


• 4 tablespoons ghee or butter


• kosher salt to taste


• 1 cinnamon stick


• 2 star anise


• 5 cardamom pods


• 6 cloves


• 1 teaspoon saffron (optional)


• 1 cup evaporated milk


• 6 cups water


• a handful of pine nuts, cashew nuts and pistachio nuts, roasted


• some yellow raisins


• some coriander leaves, chopped for garnish

Mix the saffron into the milk. Soak the rice for about 20 minutes and drain.

Fry the spices in ghee/butter until fragrant in a large wok. Add the rice and stir through for about a minute over low heat, taking care not to brown the grains. Add in the milk and salt and gently stir over a low fire until the mixture just starts to boil. Add the water, mix through and move to a rice cooker.

Once the rice is cooked, open the cover to release the steam. Switch off the cooker and let stand for about 20 minutes. Loosen the rice with a long chopstick. If you don't have saffron at hand, at this point you may add some yellow food coloring before stirring the rice.

Serve warm, layering the rice with the nuts, raisins and coriander leaves.