Kelantan Chicken with Malaysian-Thai Marinade

Name: Kelantan Chicken with Malaysian-Thai Marinade (Ayam Percik)
Yield: Serves 2 to 4
Cuisine: Malaysia
Ingredients: Creamy Asian Peanut Sauce; 2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and coarsely chopped; 2 shallots, coarsely chopped; 2 to 4 hot red chiles, such as bird peppers or serrano peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped (for hotter chicken, leave the seeds in) or 2 tablespoons Malaysian or Thai chile paste; 1 piece (2 inches) fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped; 1 whole chicken (3½ to 4 pounds); 5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped; ½ cup grated unsweetened coconut (fresh or dried); 2 teaspoons Coarse salt (kosher or sea); 2 teaspoons Coarse salt (kosher or sea); 2 teaspoons Coarse salt (kosher or sea); 1 teaspoon ground coriander; 2 to 4 hot red chiles, such as bird peppers or serrano peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped (for hotter chicken, leave the seeds in) or 2 tablespoons Malaysian or Thai chile paste; 2 to 4 hot red chiles, such as bird peppers or serrano peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped (for hotter chicken, leave the seeds in) or 2 tablespoons Malaysian or Thai chile paste; 2 to 4 hot red chiles, such as bird peppers or serrano peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped (for hotter chicken, leave the seeds in) or 2 tablespoons Malaysian or Thai chile paste; 2 to 4 hot red chiles, such as bird peppers or serrano peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped (for hotter chicken, leave the seeds in) or 2 tablespoons Malaysian or Thai chile paste; 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce or soy sauce; 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce or soy sauce; 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional, see box); Fresh calamansi (an Asian citrus fruit, see here) or lime wedges, for serving; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric; ½ teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (in Malaysia they’d use coconut oil)

Ayam Percik

Preparation info

Serves
2 to 4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Planet Barbecue

By Steven Raichlen

Published 2010

About

Kelantan is Malaysia’s northeastern-most state, a lush hinterland of rice paddies, coconut plantations, and fishing villages bordering Thailand. Not surprisingly, the local grilling reflects a marked Thai influence in the form of marinades enriched with coconut, fish sauce, and chiles. Here’s how a Kelantan-born grill master named Fandi prepares it, and if you’ve ever found grilled chicken to be dull or unidimensional, this one will light up your mouth like a Chinatown street during the Lun

Ingredients

Asia
Malaysia
Main course
New Year
South East Asia
Spicy

Ingredients

Method