Javanese chicken has been a favorite in my family for years and I wanted to share the recipe with those adventurous souls who want to give it a try.
As you’ll see, the list of ingredients is long, but when you take your first bite, you’ll know that it was totally worth the effort. There is no doubt that using fresh ingredients will give you the best results, but when you’re strapped for time, you can always make the spice mix for Javanese chicken (Ajam Laos) in advance, to cut your cooking prep time in half.
Have fun with the experiment, and if you have any questions about the recipe or spices, submit your comments below.
Traditional Javanese Chicken
Ingredients
- 1-2 lb chicken, cut up
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 tomato
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp celery, chopped
- 2 bouillon cubes
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 salam leaves (Indonesian bay leaf)
- 4 slices laos (galanga root)
- 3 tbsp sweet soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 5 pcs allspice, whole
- 1 dl water
Instructions
- Fry the onion in hot oil first before adding garlic, stir until slightly brown. Don’t burn the onion or garlic because it will turn bitter.
- Add tomato, salam, laos, black pepper, sugar, all spice, bouillon cube, celery, soy sauce and stir. Cook for a few minutes until the tomato is almost dissolved.
- Add chicken, turning it over until covered with the sauce. Cook on high heat until the liquid has evaporated (about 10-15 minutes). Add some water and stir again, turning the heat down to medium-low. Cover and simmer the chicken for another 15 minutes.
- Stir or turn over once or twice, adding a little bit of water if it’s getting too dry. After about 45 minutes, sprinkle some celery over the chicken, turn over once more and turn off the heat.
Serve with steamed rice and vegetables or Javanese noodles.
-
ENJOY, but let us know below, how your experiment went!