Sunday 2 December 2012

Ayam Golek Gaya Pahang (Pahang Style Spicy Grilled Chicken)


I've cooked Ayam Golek before and I realize that there are a few variations of this dish within the states in Malaysia. There is the Kelantan style and Terengganu style. And when I came across the Pahang version, I thought it would be perfect  to try it and submit to Malaysia Food Fest Pahang.

I am again using Ms Betty Saw's recipe from Rasa Malaysia. The ingredients are pretty much similar to the ayam golek I cooked previously except that the method is slightly different and curry powder is added to the spice paste. The chicken is first marinated with tumeric powder and salt and then grilled before basting with the spice paste. 


Chicken marinated with tumeric and salt and the spice paste ingredients.

The spice paste is cooked separately and I find that the curry powder adds a different dimension to this dish.The ayam golek turned out delicious, however I find the addition of one tablespoon of sugar a little too sweet for my liking. If I cook this dish again, I would leave out the sugar. 


Spice paste cooked over the stove.

Serve the ayam golek with plain rice and some cucumber acar. And be sure to be generous with the spice paste. It is the spice  paste that carries this dish and makes it so super delicious. 


My favorite chicken part, the whole leg.

Not a difficult dish to cook, just spend a little time peeling the onions and chuck the spice paste ingredients into the blender. After that, add in the other components and simmer away. Try this over a weekend, you will not regret it. This dish also freezes well.









Ayam Golek Gaya Pahang
Recipe source : Rasa Malaysia by Betty Saw (Bahasa Malaysia version, page 134)
My adaptations are in red.

Ingredients :

- 1 whole chicken, about 1.5kg cut into halves and scored at back and thighs (I cut into quarters, no scoring)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon tumeric powder or 2.5cm fresh tumeric, pounded (I used 2 teaspoons)
- 1.5 tablespoons meat curry powder (I used 1 whole small packet of Baba's meat curry powder)
- 1 tablespooon sugar (I will omit this in my next attempt, too sweet for me)
- 1 teaspoon salt (to add to blended spice paste)
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoning powder (I omitted)
- 2 small pieces asam gelugur/asam keping
- 500ml thin santan, squeezed from 1 grated coconut with adequate water (I mixed 200ml packet santan with 250ml water)

Blended Ingredients :
- 25 dried chilles, soaked (I used 15 dried chillies, deseeded)
- 300g shallots
- 2 stalks lemongrass
- 1.25 x 1.25cm ginger

To garnish (I omitted)
- Salad leaves
- Tomato
- Cucumbers
- Red Chillies

Method :
- Marinate chicken with salt and tumeric for 15 minutes.
- Mix blended ingredients, curry powder, sugar, salt, seasoning powder, asam gelugur and santan in a saucepan and simmer over low heat until thick.
- Grill chicken for 15 to 20 minutes until both sides are brown and cooked (I grilled in the oven at 180C for 15 minutes)
- Spoon the gravy onto chicken and continue to grill for 5 minutes until fragrant and oil rises to the top (After grilling the chicken for 15 minutes, I kept basting the chicken generously every 10 minutes for another 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked and gravy is thick and slightly browned).
- Serve and garnish with with salad leaves, tomatoes, cucumber and red chillies.


I am submitting this post to Malaysian Food Fest, Pahang Month hosted by WendyinKK of Table for 2.....or more.

76 comments:

  1. Hello Phong Hong
    Oh my, this must be real tasty and full of aroma of chicken dish! No doubt about it, this is your specialty of dish and you are real good in it! Slurpppp! I need extra rice to go with it....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mel, it is super tasty. Must have more rice to go with the delicious spice paste.

      Delete
  2. Oh Phong Hong,
    This Ayam golek looks so tasty and Lemak. I will eat the kuah and Ayam with white rice..emmm sedap!
    Guess what? Now I am like, see what Phong Hong is cooking for this state every month..heehee
    Then I follow you, what you cook is always SEDAP! :D
    Thanks for sharing.
    mui..^^

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mui Mui, hah...hah...can can, why don't you cook ayam golek? The kuah campur with rice is really delicious.

      Delete
  3. Hi Phong Hong, this looks yummy delicious. How I wish you are nearby so that I can try all your chicken dishes so far. BTW, I see you cooked quite a lot. Who are the lucky people that get to savour all these delicious food?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kimmy, if you are nearby I will sure share with you! I cooked one whole chicken and my family are big eaters :) Sometimes, depending on the dishes for example curry, I cook extra and then freeze it.

      Delete
  4. Phong Hong, this ayam golek looks so yummy Ohh ....! I'm looking at your post here while eating my simple dinner, just feel like I can pinch one chicken from the screen! Haha!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Li Shuan, you are so funny! Yeah, if only we can pinch food from the screen, I will steal your cakes LOL!

      Delete
  5. Now it became Phong Hong style, did not know got so many styles of ayam golek, hehehe..Nampak sedap sangat, makan dengan nasi putih sahaja, pun cukup!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sonia, just the kuah alone with nasi putih is so heavenly!

      Delete
  6. Hi PH, the chicken has a nice orange/brown finish, looks spicy. Grilling the chicken with such thick sauce and the basting makes the meat tender and juicy. I would love to try this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alvin, it is full of flavours and the aroma is fantastic. Yeah, you should give it a try. You can use less chillies and de-seed them so that it is not too hot.

      Delete
  7. Very nice color of the dish and looks really delicious. I am vegetarian so cant give try in my kitchen but looks really colorful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Subashini! I think some vegetables can be cooked with this spice paste for example brinjals. I will experiment one of these days :)

      Delete
  8. What a flavourful ayam golek over there!!! So hungry...irresistible :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, dear! It is perfect for a luxurious weekend lunch or a dish to wow your guests.

      Delete
  9. Mmmm... this ayam golek look so delicious. Definitely can eat with extra rice!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Looks great, Feels to eat too.hahaha....
    i really like your blog, there are many good food here,hahaha...
    i will definitely be trying out some of your recipes one day again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your kind words, I feel so happy :) Yes, please try and let me know how it turned out especially this ayam golek.

      Delete
  11. Phong Hong, you have such a great talent in cooking this curry dishes! Another yummy dish from you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aiyoh, Jessie...shylah....paiseh, paiseh...I just follow the recipe only. Hee..hee...

      Delete
  12. Hi Phong Hong,

    I have seen some of the Betty Saw's books when I was shopping in Singapore. After seeing your delicious spicy grilled chicken, I regretted not buying her books :p Good now that I can always refer to your blog whenever I need to cook her recipes.

    Zoe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Zoe, I find the book Rasa Malaysia quiet helpful for the MFF event. In fact it was the MFF event that got me trying the recipes, or else this book would have been hibernating in the bookshelf :)

      Delete
  13. PH, your ayam golek looks super-licious!!! For me, only this and a bowl of plain rice will make me happy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Veronica, you are right! Just the ayam golek with rice and nothing else will keep us happy :)

      Delete
  14. What's the difference between ayam golek and ayam percik? Looks the same to me...or the same as the one the wife of a Malay friend of mine cooked when we were in the UK. It was absolutely delicious...but a lot of work - not something I would want to try. Your golek looks awesome - bet that must have tasted like heaven!!! Slurpsss!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are actually similar, perhaps a slight difference in the cooking method and spice ingredients. I've never done a percik before and will try it in the MFF Kelantan event.

      Delete
    2. Kelantan's percik is rather sweet, that is if you do the local version

      Delete
    3. Wendy is right, Kelantan and Terengganu dishes tend to be on the sweet side. Not surprising that the number of diabetic cases there is also high :(

      Delete
  15. Looking at your pic makes me want to try cooking this dish too although the recipe ingredients is a little intimidating lol! I am one for simple recipes! But this looks so delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jeannie, cook this during the weekend or on a day when you are not so rushed. It is actually not that complicated, just let the blender do the work :)

      Delete
  16. Oh wow this looks amazing, I am so tempted to make this!! Perhaps after I return from holiday later in December, I can cook this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Mich, you must try it! It is worth the effort :)

      Delete
  17. wahh... nampak sedap sangat.. i menantu orang pahang pun belum pandai masak masakan ni... hehe... thanks sharing this recipe...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heh..heh....Madihah mesti cuba ni.....

      Delete
  18. Can imagine the lovely aroma and rich taste. A recipe I will definitely try!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kelly, cook this and you will fall in love with the yumminess!

      Delete
  19. Your spicy grilled chicken looks yummy and mouthwatering! I wish I can have the drumstick portion for my dinner. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DG, cook this and you can have lots with your rice hee..hee....

      Delete
  20. Very interesting ad tasty recipe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is so tasty you will cook it again and again!

      Delete
  21. very tempting n delicious :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PT, this is very delish! Hope you cook it too :)

      Delete
  22. Aiyo,, now i need supper! Look so delicious, yes, plain rice will do this dish perfect justice!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Esther, hope you try it and remember to cook extra rice :)

      Delete
  23. Delicious way to cook my lovely chicken! I love this recipe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Francesca! It is aromatic from all the spices and terribly delicious :)

      Delete
  24. hi phong hong, i can imagine how tasty and delicious the gravy is! 2 plates of rice, no problem! you are one lady can really cook! i think you are torturing your neighbours as well with all the aromatic smell coming from your house!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lena, heh..heh...I hope that I inspire them to cook :)

      Delete

  25. looks very delicious...loved it.
    For technical reasons, I'm no longer posting at http://akshaypatrerecipes.blogspot.in.

    This is my new blog adress
    http://vidyaasrecipes.blogspot.in/

    Happy to follow you. I hope you'll follow me back.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vidya, duly noted! Am following you at your new home :)

      Delete
  26. Oh Phong am salivating here... Looks so tempting

    ReplyDelete
  27. Oh yum! I'm always looking for more chicken recipes. This looks great!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Cathleen! It's spiciliciously good :)

      Delete
  28. Hi Phong Hong, another mouth-watering dish from you! Looks so delicious! Two plates of rice, must wear sarong again! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joyce, oh yes! Bring out the sarongs :)

      Delete
  29. wow phong hong, I just had my lunch leh but you are making me hungry, I cannot resist chicken, so yummy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jess, spicy chicken is always irresistible!

      Delete
  30. Hi, phong hong,
    i just try your Pandan Chiffon Cake recipe,
    my husband has asked me to thank you for the good recipes,
    he love the Yogurt Cottony Cake and Pandan Chiffon Cake very much,
    and go around to tell his friends about how nice of the durian yogurt conttony cake it is~
    hahaha....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Caterpillar, you and your husband are most welcome! I am happy that both of you love the cakes. Happy baking :)

      Delete
  31. Hi Phong Hong, sorry took me so many days to golek here. I presume your ayam golek already golek golek in your tummy. LOL

    It sure finger licking good, can have extra rice, no sweat! You're an excellent cook, always love drop by your place to drool......

    Have a nice day ahead.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amelia, thanks for the compliments! I am still learning lah. Don't golek golek too much, it is tiring, hee...hee....

      Delete
  32. i know i would enjoy this dish, but i gotta prepare another dish for my kids if i cook this cos they cant take spicy stuff :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yah Alice, they are still young, can't tahan chillies yet! Maybe on a day when you can prepare two dishes, you can cook ayam golek :)

      Delete
  33. Oh Sedap ! So mouthwatering & makes me drool! Didin't even knwo that they're so many different style of ayam golek ! Thanks for the info & love to try this recipe too. BTW my grandparents (mother side) are from Pahang, Bentong actually.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, you have roots in Bentong! You know Kit, back when I was small, I used to travel with my parent between Terengganu and KL. We will pass by Bentong (those time got no highway) and the journey was quite long. And because of the winding roads, I would get car sick when we reach Bentong. Har..har..old memories.

      Delete
  34. Wow! looks so tempting and must have tasted great

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Swasthi, it's also very nice in a sandwich!

      Delete
  35. oh so yummy! the recipe looks quite similar to kay pachok.. i don't think i've tasted ayam golek before, must faster make this for pahang month..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shannon, try it because it's pretty good!

      Delete