Opor Ayam | Indonesian White Curry Chicken Recipe

How to make Opor Ayam, a delicious, aromatic and non-spicy Indonesian chicken stew.

Opor Ayam is, surprise surprise, not a spicy dish at all. This Indonesian dish can be found in Singapore at nasi padang stalls, but not common. It’s an underrated dish and is one of my faves – for a spice lover, that’s saying a lot. This is such an aromatic dish and I love the strong notes of floral, citrusy galangal in this recipe.

Compared to other curry dishes, this is a lot simpler to accomplish. There’s no marinating the chicken too, which makes this a quick meal that doesn’t require much pre-planning.

Soupy or Gravy

I like this more soupy, so 15 to 25 minutes on the stove, or until the chicken fully cooks is perfect for me. If you want a creamier, more thick version, simply leave it on the stove for longer and let the sauce reduce even more.

Onions and Shallots

In this recipe, I used both onions and shallots. You can actually just use all onions, or all shallots. Main difference between the two is shallots are more lighter and slightly sweeter than onions. Onions would be a sharper taste. Shallots have also been described as a cross of onion and garlic. Essentially the base flavour profile of onion-y (thanks, vocabulary) is the same.

Ingredients:

• 600g or 1/2 a whole Chicken
• 600ml Water
• 200g Coconut Cream
• 1 Lemongrass, bruised
• 2-3 Bay Leaves
• 2-3 Kaffir Lime Leaves
• 2 tsps Salt, or to taste
• 2 tsps Sugar
• Garnish with fried onions
• Blended Spice Base:
  • 1 Red Onion*
  • 6 Shallots*
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 1 inch Galangal or Blue Ginger
  • 4 Candlenuts (or hazelnuts/cashew nuts)
  • 1 tsp Coriander Seeds
  • 1 tsp Fennel
  • 1/4 cup water for easier blending

*If using just onions or shallots, double the amounts. So if using just onions, use 2 onions. Just shallots, then use about 12 shallots. Maths 😀

Directions:

1. Blend spice base finely.
2. Heat oil in pan, and fry spice base for about 5 minutes or until fragrant.
3. Add bay leaves, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, stir fry for a couple of minutes.
4. Add chicken, and stir through. Let it cook for a while, until the chicken skin is not pink anymore. This should take just about 5 minutes or so. Cover with a lid to help the process.
5. Add water and coconut cream, stir in to get an even mix. Cover with a lid and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
6. At 20 minute mark, chicken should be cooked fully. Sauce should also reduce. If you want a thicker gravy, let it simmer for longer.
7. Add sugar and salt to taste.

Opor Ayam | Indonesian curry chicken

Recipe by Sha

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Uncategorized

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Ingredients

• 600g or 1/2 a whole Chicken

• 600ml Water

• 200g Coconut Cream

• 1 Lemongrass, bruised

• 2-3 Bay Leaves

• 2-3 Kaffir Lime Leaves

• 2 tsps Salt, or to taste

• 2 tsps Sugar

• Garnish with fried onions

• 
  Blended Base Paste:

• 1 Red Onion*

• 6 Shallots*

• 3 cloves Garlic

• 1 inch Galangal or Blue Ginger

• 4 Candlenuts (or hazelnuts/cashew nuts)

• 1 tsp Coriander Seeds

• 1 tsp Fennel

• 1/4 cup water for easier blending

Directions

• Blend spice base finely.
• Heat oil in pan, and fry spice base for about 5 minutes or until fragrant.
• Add bay leaves, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, stir fry for a couple of minutes.
• Add chicken, and stir through. Let it cook for a while, until the chicken skin is not pink anymore. This should take just about 5 minutes or so. Cover with a lid to help the process.
• Add water and coconut cream, stir in to get an even mix. Cover with a lid and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.
• At 20 minute mark, chicken should be cooked fully. Sauce should also reduce. If you want a thicker gravy, let it simmer for longer.
• Add sugar and salt to taste.

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