Red-Cooked Chicken

Name: Red-Cooked Chicken
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 small fresh or dried red chiles, preferably Thai; 3 tablespoons corn, grapeseed, or other neutral oil; 1 chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, cut into serving pieces, or 2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken parts, trimmed of excess fat; 2 garlic cloves, minced; One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced; 1 small onion, diced; 1 cinnamon stick; 2 whole star anise; 1 teaspoon whole cloves; 1 tablespoon tamarind paste (page 585); 1 cup coconut milk, homemade (page 584) or canned

December 14, 2011

This fragrant, sweet-smelling Malaysian version of braised chicken is complex and delicious. The vaguely red color (it’s actually brown) comes from the chiles and tamarind. But if you don’t have tamarind, or you want a truly red sauce, substitute tomato paste for the tamarind paste; it’s a nice change of pace and actually makes the dish more attractive. Serve this with Nasi Lemak (page 515) or another rice dish.

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