Indonesia is a vast, diverse archipelago that spans over 5,000km and
populated by 1,300 ethnicities. Across the archipelago, Indonesians share many things, including a rice culture, love for spices / sambal and chicken. We take a trip across the archipelago from west to east to taste Indonesian dishes made with the trinity of chicken, spices / sambal and rice. Each variation reflects regional characteristics yet shares commonalities with chicken rice dishes across the country.
Ayam Tangkap Aceh
We start our chicken rice journey from the northern tip of Sumatra and the furthest west of Indonesia in Bandar Aceh city. The signature chicken dish here is Ayam Tangkap Aceh which means "catching chicken" in Bahasa Indonesia language. "Catching chicken" because this dish uses free range kampung chicken which must be caught by chasing after it around the village 😄 (Image courtesy of Wikipedia.)
Chunks of chicken are cooked by simmering in a spice stock of grounded coriander seed, garlic, shallot, ginger, till all the liquid is evaporated. The cooked chicken well infused with spice flavours is further fried in hot oil together with curry leaves, pandan leaves, and green chili pepper. Flavourful, spicy and aromatic Ayam Tangkap Aceh is enjoyed with plain white rice. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia.)
Ayam Napinadar Samosir
Ayam Napinadar Samosir is a unique dish of the Batak people who live in North Sumatra and the island of Samosir in Lake Toba. Most Bataks are Christians by faith whereas most Indonesians are Muslim. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia.)
Ayam Napinadar is not a pretty dish but it would be the most unusual chicken dish that I have ever come across.
White pepper, black pepper, and coriander seed are grounded and blended together with fried candlenut, garlic, shallot, green chili padi to make a paste. This spicy concoction is added into lime juice, salt, chicken blood to make a spicy briny sambal. Chunks of pre-grilled chicken are cooked in this special blood sambal till the meat are totally smothered in spicy savoury sweet flavours. Please note that this dish is non Halal. (Screengrab from Youtube.)
Ayam Berlado Cabe Ijo Padang
Ayam Berlado Cabe Ijo Padang is a Minangkabau dish from the city of Padang in West Sumatra. Padang is also the home of iconic Nasi Padang and rendang. "Berlado" in Minang dialect means "with chili". (Image courtesy of Wikipedia.)
The dish consists of chunks of chicken marinated with calamansi juice deep fried in
oil till golden brown, then further sautéed in oil together with hand grounded green chili, shallot, green tomato, calamansi, etc.
Robustly spicy, savoury Ayam Berlado Cabe Ijo is eaten with boiled white rice.
Ayam Geprek Jogjakarta
From Sumatra we go east, hopping across to Java island where 40% of Indonesians live. Ayam Geprek is a Javanese dish from the ancient city of Jogjakarta in south Central Java. Geprek is the Javanese word meaning "crushed". (Image courtesy of Wikipedia.)
The dish consists of chicken breast or deboned thigh marinated with soy sauce, paprika, etc., then coated with a thick batter made with wheat flour, baking powder, pepper, etc. The battered chicken is deep fried in oil till golden brown and crisp outside.
The fried chicken is mashed with pestle in a mortar. A fiery sambal of hand ground chili pepper, garlic, etc., poured over with hot oil to release its flavours is then slathered over the mashed fried chicken. The spicy, crisp, tender chicken is eaten with plain white rice. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia.)
There's a modern version known as Ayam Geprek Keju where the mashed deep fried chicken is topped with mozzarella cheese which is melted and scorched by torching. Traditional spicy hot sambal is served at the side.
Nasi Ayam Penyet Surabaya
It is chicken thigh boiled in a stock of grounded lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, ginger, shallot, garlic, etc., with bay leaves. The cooked chicken is lightly battered with rice flour mixed with the same stock used to cook the chicken. The chicken fried till golden brown is smacked with the flat of a chopper, a mallet or a pestle, hence the name "penyet".
The fried chicken thigh is complemented by sambal made by sautéing hand ground red chili pepper, shallot, garlic, tomato, chili padi, terasi (fermented shrimp paste known as belacan in Singapore / Malaysia), etc.
Ayam penyet is served with plain white rice, sambal, fried tofu and fried tempeh. The grounded spices from the stock can be strained, fried to a crisp and use as garnish for the rice.
Nasi Ayam Taliwang Lombok
In Lombok, the whole chicken is used - splayed, flattened and marinated with coconut milk.
Sambal Taliwang is made with hand ground red chili pepper, chili padi, garlic, shallot, tomato, candlenut, belacan, etc. The resulting spice paste is sautéed in hot oil.
The chicken is cooked in sambal Taliwang with water, coconut milk, palm sugar added. The cooked chicken is allowed to cool and set aside. Before serving it is dunked in sambal Taliwang and flame grilled.
Spicy sweet Ayam Taliwang is eaten with plain white rice.
Nasi Ayam Sambal Bali
Nasi Ayam Sambal Bali is from the island of Bali in East Indonesia. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia.)
Chunks of chicken marinated with turmeric powder is deep fried till golden brown. Sambal Bali is made by frying mashed and blended large onion, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, chili paste, chili sauce, kicap manis (sweetened soy sauce), oyster sauce, etc. The fried chicken is stir fried in this sambal Bali and kaffir leaves till the meat is fully enveloped with the sambal.
The chicken well enveloped and infused with the sambal's spicy savoury flavours is eaten with plain white rice.
Ayam Masak Sapit Bawean
Pulau Bawean is an island north of East Java (Surabaya city). The Baweanese or Boyanese chicken dish is Ayam Masak Sapit Bawean. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia.)
Ayam Masak Sapit Bawean is the Boyanese style of chicken rendang.
Chicken marinated with turmeric is deep fried. The fried chicken are then stewed in a complex spicy curry.
The curry is made with ground onion, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, ginger, turmeric root, candlenut, kencur root, coriander powder, fennel powder, fried in hot oil to release the flavours. Water and fried chicken are added into the spice concoction. Asam gelugur, chili pepper, fried grated coconut follow. After most of the water evaporated on simmering, add coconut milk followed with kaffir leaves.
The drippy, flavourful chicken rendang is eaten with plain white rice. (Screengrab from Youtube.)
Ayam Habang Banjar
Ayam Masak Habang is made by frying chunks of chicken marinated with tamarind juice to half doneness. Grounded dried chili pepper, garlic, shallot, ginger, cinnamon, palm sugar is sautéed in oil to release flavours and make a spicy sauce. The chicken is then fully done by stir frying in the sauce.
The spicy, sweet, savoury dish is eaten with plain white rice. (Screengrab from Youtube.)
Ayam Palekko Bugis
The Bugis people come from South Sulawesi (provincial capital Makassar). The Bugis have a famous chicken dish known as Ayam Pelekko. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia.)
Ayam Pelekko Bugis is eaten with plain white rice. (Screengrab from Youtube.)
Written by Tony Boey on 8 Nov 2021
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