Sambal is an Indonesian term referring to a sauce made with chillies, which can include a variety of other complementary ingredients. There are many different types of sambals, but oelek (a favourite of ours, which seems to have made an appearance in Western kitchens more often during the last few years) refers to the pestle and mortar used to make this sambal in Indonesian methods. Mainly comprised of chilli and with a clean taste, we love that sambal oelek is chunky and fiery – perfect for adding a kick to any dish, or as a hot sauce if you’re a fan of feisty flavours. Sambal oelek is widely available at Asian- and regular supermarkets in the Asian food section.
Crunchy fried chicken with amasi and sambal oelek sauce
Ingredients
AMASI-MARINATED CHICKEN
- 4 skinless chicken drumsticks
- 4 skinless chicken thighs
- 10ml (2 tsp) garlic flakes
- 800ml amasi
- 10ml (2 tsp) smoked Spanish paprika
- 20ml (4 tsp) dried rosemary
- 20ml (4 tsp) sambal oelek
SAUCE
- 250ml (1 cup) sour cream
- 250ml (1 cup) amasi
- 125ml (½ cup) good quality mayonnaise
- zest of 1 lemon + juice of ½ lemon
- 25ml (5 tsp) sambal oelek
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
CHICKEN CRUMB
- 250g cake flour
- 15ml (1 tbsp) chicken spice
- 10ml (2 tsp) fine salt
- 80ml (1/3 cup) amasi
- canola-/sunflower oil, to deep-fry
Instructions
For the marinated chicken, place the chicken drumsticks and thighs in a bowl, and add the remaining ingredients to the bowl. Use your hands to combine well, ensuring the chicken pieces are completely coated in the marinade. Cover the bowl with cling film and place in the fridge to marinate, at least 4 hours.
While the chicken is marinating, make the sauce by combining all of the ingredients in a serving bowl. Cover and store in the fridge until just before serving. Remove from fridge 15 minutes before serving to take the chill off.
Once the chicken has marinated completely, remove from fridge and set aside while you make the crumb. Put the cake flour, chicken spice and the 10ml (2 tsp) fine salt in a bowl, and whisk to combine.
Add the 80ml (1/3 cup) amasi and rub it into the flour mixture, using your fingertips to create a coarse crumb (similar to how you would rub butter into flour when making pastry).
Crumb the chicken by removing each piece of chicken from the marinade and rubbing off some of the marinade (don’t rub it all off, but there shouldn’t be a thick coating of the marinade left). Place the individual chicken pieces in the flour crumbs and cover them all over, then lay the chicken pieces in a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. In a deep fat fryer or large, deep pot, heat the oil to 160˚C. Use a sugar thermometer to check the temperature of the oil if using a pot. Fry the chicken in small batches until golden brown, turning occasionally to fry all over, about 10 – 15 minutes in total. Drain the pieces on paper towel before returning the chicken pieces to the lined roasting tray, once all of the pieces have been fried, place them in the preheated oven, 10 – 15 minutes or until just cooked through.
Serve the crunchy amasi-fried chicken with the sauce alongside for dipping and drizzling.
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ALSO SEE: Deep-fried cheese parcels
Imka Webb is a freelance digital marketing expert and the digital editor of Food & Home Entertaining magazine. www.imkawebb.com
