Why simmer food in stock or water if you can use the rich, creamy milk
squeezed from the flesh of grated coconuts? The Balinese use coconut
milk for cooking everything from vegetables to seafood, meat to dessert
bananas and, as in the following recipe, for lovely chicken curries.
##
2
tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup basic spice paste
1 stalk lemon grass, bruised
1 salam leaf
1 kg (2 lb) chicken, cut in 8 pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
1 litre (4 cups) coconut milk
fried shallots to garnish
Heat vegetable
oil in heavy saucepan. Add spice paste and saute for 2 minutes over
low heat. Add lemon grass, salam leaf and chicken pieces and con- tinue
to saute for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in coconut
milk, bring to boil and simmer until chicken is cooked and sauce thickens.
If sauce becomes too thick, add a little chicken stock. Serve with Nasi
Kuning or steamed rice.
Helpful
hints : Do not cover the pan during cooking to prevent the coconut
milk from curdling. If you are worried about cholesterol, discard the
chicken skin before cooking.
