Sambal chicken and fragrant rice in banana leaves

This Indonesian dish originates from Bali and Java, combining the bold flavours of a Balinese spice paste with the fresh aroma of kemangi (also known as lemon basil), commonly used in Javanese cooking. This recipe is shared by executive chef Andrianto Wirya.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4-5

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

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The Cook Up with Adam Liaw

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Cooking

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series • 

Cooking

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Ingredients

• Vegetable oil, for drizzling
• 50 g eschallot, finely chopped
• 20 g garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 50 g long red chilli, finely chopped
• 20 g bird’s eye chilli, finely chopped
• 15 g candlenut, toasted, finely chopped
• 10 g fresh turmeric, finely chopped
• 10 g young ginger, finely chopped
• 15 g young galangal, finely chopped
• 50 g tomatoes, quartered
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 lemongrass stalk, bruised
• Salt and sugar, to taste
• 1 brined and poached chicken breast, shredded (see Note)

For the rice

• 500 g cooked jasmine rice
• Salt, sugar, to taste
• 1 lemongrass stalk, cut into thin rounds
• 3 makrut lime leaves, thinly sliced
• 1 small bunch lemon basil (kemangi), leaves picked
• 10 g dried shrimp, roasted
• 2-3 large banana leaves, cleaned

Marinating time: 1 hour; Chilling time: 10 minutes

Instructions

1. Start with the chicken sambal. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, then add the eschallot, garlic, chilli, candlenut, turmeric, ginger and galangal. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and tender, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Transfer to a high-speed blender with the tomatoes, then blitz to a purée. Return to the pan with the bay leaves and lemongrass. Season to taste with salt and sugar, then add the shredded chicken and mix well to combine. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. To assemble the rice, while the jasmine rice is still warm, season well with a pinch of salt and sugar to taste, then add the remaining ingredients (except the banana leaves) and mix gently to combine.
3. Place 1 large piece of banana leaf on a clean working surface, then place the circle on top in the centre. Layer with rice and sambal chicken, then wrap and secure the banana leaf parcels with toothpicks. (If you have spare banana leaves, cut circles about 11 cm in diameter from one piece. Lay a circle on top of a larger piece of banana leaf before adding filling and wrapping up.)
4. Heat a chargrill pan or large frying pan over medium-high heat, then grill the banana leaf parcels until the leaves are charred.
5. Divide the banana leaf parcels between plates and serve.

Note

To make the brined chicken, you will need 500 g water, 50 g salt, 50 g honey, 5 g bay leaf, 500 g ice and 1 chicken breast.

To make the brine for the chicken, bring the water to a boil, add the salt, honey and bay leaf. Dissolve the seasoning, once all the seasoning dilutes, cool down with ice for immediate use. Add chicken breast to the brine and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before use.

Place the chicken breast into a medium saucepan of water and bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 7-15 minutes, until cooked through, depending on size. Transfer chicken to bowl of iced water to cool. Then shred the chicken breast by hand and use as required.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.