Sevadeekap Chicken (Ayam Sevadeekap)

Yes, I was getting bored in the kitchen and I played with my food last Wednesday evening! :p  If you had been here for a while, you would know that I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen and doing up new recipes and the fact that I am a half breed (half Indian, half Malay) hehe ;p, I sometimes like to fuse my cooking style.  I have incorporated the elements of Malay cooking and Indian cooking by using some of the ingredients used in Thai cooking except that I did not have fresh basil leaves in the fridge which I had therefore had to make do without.  After I have had my fun with the food, the end result was what I decided to call Sevadeekap Chicken.

And why the word "Sevadeekap" of all words, you might ask. Well that's because that was the only unique name I can think of.  Of course, I could have made it even more unique if I had decided to name it in the way I fused it and call it "Selamat Datang Vanekam Sawadeekap Chicken" but it takes a whole day to say out that name. So I thought, let's just shorten it and say "Sevadeekap" Chicken. ;p

My kitchen-ing assistant could not wait and took a piece of the chicken right after I had finished cooking.  Sayf ended up just wanting to have the chicken and the gravy without rice.  He sipped the gravy like soup with a spoon.  My husband was like "talk to the hands cos the ears are not listening" at the dining table.  So I thought I should just keep my mouth shut and let them enjoy.  Since this playful recipe is a blast, i thought I should just post the photos I snapped and share the recipe on this blog.

Ingredients:

12 - 16  pieces chicken parts - washed and cleaned
1 stalk lemon grass - cut into two and crushed
2 cm galangal - crushed
1 piece ikan bilis cube (Knorr brand)
2 tablespoons light soya sauce
1 spoon ground white pepper
1 spoon sugar
2 teaspoons Ajinamoto (if you prefer)
2 green limes - extract the juice
1 small box of coconut milk - about 200 ml (Kara brand)
2 small bowls of water
small bunch fresh coriander leaves - chopped
6 kaffir lime leaves - finely sliced - divided
salt to taste

(**items to be blended in a food processor with a little bit of water to form a paste)
4 green chillies**
8 shallots**
1 large onion**
9 garlics**
3 cm ginger**

Tempering
a handful of fresh basil leaves (I don't have these so I had to leave it out)
2 shallots - finely sliced
3/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
3/4 teaspoon cummin seeds
2 red chillies - sliced into chunks (you can substitute with 4-6 stalks of red bird's eye chillies, if you want it hot)
2 tablespoons oil

Method:

1.  Heat oil in a deep based pan or wok and saute the lemon grass and galangal for a a few seconds.

2.  Add in the blended ingredients.  Saute for a about two to three minutes.

3.  Add in ikan bilis cube, sugar and Ajinamoto (if you prefer) and saute for a minute or two.

4.  Add in half of the sliced kaffir lime leaves and saute until oil separates.  This may take a good ten to fifteen minutes.

5.  The sauteing mix will later begin to dry up and when you do the ladle slide test, you will see oil collecting at the gap of the sauteing mix like in the above picture.  This means that oil has separated and your gravy will not have a raw taste.

6.  Add in water.  Give a stir.

7.  Add in chicken pieces. 

8.  Fold them in to combine.  Cover your pan/wok for about five to ten minutes or until the chicken pieces are about 3/4 cooked.

9.  Take off lid, bring fire to medium and add in coconut milk.  Stir it in.

10.  Add in the light soya sauce and pepper.  Give a stir.

11.  Add in the remaining sliced kaffir lime leaves and let simmer for another five to ten minutes or until your chicken pieces are fully cooked whilst stirring every now and then. This stirring is important in order to prevent the cream from curdling or "pecah minyak" as the Malays would call it.  

12.  Once your chicken is fully cooked.  Add in the extracted lime juice.  Give a stir and do a taste check.  Add salt if necessary.  Add in the chopped coriander leaves.  Give a stir and off fire.

13.  Heat about two tablespoons of oil in skillet.  Once oil is hot, bring fire to medium and add in the cummin seeds and the coriander seeds and saute until the colours turn slightly dark.

14.  Add in the sliced shallots and saute for about a minute.

15.  Add in the sliced red chillies (or bird's eye chillies) and saute for a minute.  This would also be the time to add in the fresh basil leaves.

16.  Stir fry until the shallots are caramelized.  Off fire.

17.  Pour everything in the skillet into the chicken gravy. 

18.  Give a stir and ready to be served.

Enjoy with white rice!  Happy Kitchen-ing!!