Smashing Good Ayam Penyet

Nasi ayam penyet may have originated from Indonesia, but it is a relatively popular dish in Malaysia. The word ‘penyet’ means smashed into pieces, as the fried chicken in the dish is smashed with a pestle to tenderise it. Generally, ayam penyet’s main elements are its crispy fried chicken, steamed rice and cucumber slices, with nicely seasoned sambal on the side. To complete the dish, serve it with Indonesian favourites such as deep-fried beancurd, soybean cake, an assortment of vegetables topped with luxurious peanut sauce, offering you an authentic taste of East Javanese food. This dish is representative of Southeast Asian cuisine, with its familiar sweet and spicy condiments that will tantalise your taste buds, and a vibrant platter consisting of greens, meat and other side dishes — a variety of colours and flavours all in one dish. To make an exceptional ayam penyet dish, the chicken must be boiled in spice marinade and water to tenderise the meat before deep-frying. The spice marinade is a rich mixture of local ingredients, such as blended garlic, shallots, candlenut, ginger, turmeric, pounded coriander seeds, galangal, bay leaf (daun salam). To further elevate the flavour, add a tablespoon of MAGGI® CukupRasa™ to the marinade! The sambal is also a key to serve a tasty ayam penyet dish — the spicier the better! Here’s how to make a fragrant sambal: heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and fry the shallots, garlic and bird’s eye chillies for 2-3 minutes. For a refreshing tangy taste, add tomato wedges and belacan, then fry for a few minutes to soften the tomato wedges for a smooth paste. Just like our vibrant culture, Southeast Asian cuisine is particularly distinctive in its flavours due to the tropical climate that enables our food system and crop cultivation to flourish all year round. Craving for other fried chicken dishes with Southeast Asia flavours to go with a warm bowl of rice? Check out MAGGI’s wide range of recipes including turmeric fried chicken, cencalok fried chicken, fabulous fried chicken satay and many more.

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