Ayam Lemak Cili Padi (Malay Coconut Chicken with Bird's Eye Chili)

Quick answer

Total time: 55 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

Ayam lemak cili padi simmers chicken thighs with bird's eye chili, shallot, fresh turmeric, lemongrass, and coconut milk.

Blend the shallot, chilies, and turmeric until no lumps remain. Cook the paste over medium-low heat while stirring until its raw aroma subsides, then add the chicken. When the outside is no longer pink, add the coconut milk and bruised lemongrass and scrape the paste from the bottom. A hard boil can split the coconut milk, so simmer gently without a lid for 25 minutes. When the chicken is cooked through and the broth remains light, add salt and sugar and remove the lemongrass.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

chicken thigh700 gg

coconut milk400 mlml

bird's eye chili8 pcspcs

shallot80 gg

fresh turmeric20 gg

lemongrass1 eaea

salt1 tsptsp

sugar1 tsptsp

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Prep

Combine 80g of shallots, 8 bird's eye chilies, and 20g of fresh turmeric in a blender.

Process until the mixture becomes a completely smooth, bright yellow spice paste without any visible lumps.
2

Control

Place the paste in a deep pan or pot over medium-low heat.

Sauté while stirring continuously until the raw smell disappears and the earthy, bitter aroma of turmeric begins to fill the kitchen.
3

Heat

Add 700g of chicken thigh pieces and stir to coat them thoroughly with the golden paste.

Cook until the exterior of the chicken loses its pink color and becomes opaque and white.
4

Step

Pour in 400ml of coconut milk and add one bruised lemongrass stalk.

Stir the bottom of the pan to integrate the spice paste into the liquid until the broth turns a consistent pale gold.
5

Control

Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 25 minutes without a lid.

Ensure the broth remains light and soupy rather than thickening into a heavy gravy while the chicken becomes soft.
6

Finish

Stir in 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar.

Remove the lemongrass, confirm the chicken is cooked through, and serve with the broth.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Ayam Lemak Cili Padi features chicken simmered in light coconut milk with sharp bird's eye chilies.
Finish cue: Remove the lemongrass, confirm the chicken is cooked through, and serve with the broth.
Avoid this: Avoid hard boiling coconut milk to prevent splitting.