Bali has always been captivating in my eyes with their exotic smells, sights and flavours. It’s hard not to be mesmerised by all these, and I was quite in awe during my time there. Bali also served as inspiration for today’s dish, a little something I thought of during my trip to the island over Chinese New Year, where I was given an insight to traditional Balinese cuisine by the chef in our villa. Once I found out the key technique, everything else seemed to fall into place.
So what was the secret? The chicken is boiled with spices and other ingredients, and then only baked, which is actually another (less conventional, of course) method of marinating the chicken meat! This is because when subjected to heat, the pores on the chicken are forced open, allowing the wonderful flavours from the myriad of ingredients to effectively seep into the meat and work its magic deep into the chicken before it is baked. Besides serving as an excellent way of flavouring the meat, boiling it beforehand also allows for a shorter baking period. Since the chicken meat cooks through during the boiling process, it will then require a shorter stint in the oven before it is roasted to perfection and ready to be savoured. Furthermore, the skin of the chicken gains a gorgeous crispy texture, giving you beautifully flavoured meat that’s tender and oozing flavour, with a layer of equally delicious crisp skin on the outside. Isn’t that tempting enough?
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves 2
1 small spring chicken
4 cloves garlic, skin removed and finely chopped
3 shallots, skin removed and finely chopped
1 inch turmeric, skin remove and finely sliced
1 inch galangal, skin removed and finely sliced
1 tablespoon chilli sauce
1 tablespoon palm sugar
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped
salt and pepper, adjust according to taste
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
2. Boil chicken with garlic, shallots, turmeric and galangal for 1 hour over low heat
3. Meanwhile combine chilli sauce, palm sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well
4. Using a brush, brush sauce over boiled chicken
5. Place chicken on a baking dish and bake in the oven for 30 minutes
6. Remove chicken from the oven and brush sauce over bake chicken another time before serving
7. Sprinkle with chopped kaffir lime leaves
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