Poultry

Appears in

Mortar and Pestle: Classic Indonesian Recipes for the Modern Kitchen

Published 2024

About

In Southeast Asia, we often ate a breed of chicken called ayam kampung, literally “village chicken.” These birds were—and still are—raised in rural areas and are what we might call free-range. They tend to be smaller and leaner than commercial breeds, and today, they fetch a higher price.

When Julia owned her restaurant, she used Cornish game hens to make her famous fried chicken. Store-bought chickens were too big and rubbery for her taste. That being said, organic chickens are a good substitute for ayam kampung, but they are not always affordable. Instead, I look for all-natural, air-chilled chickens weighing 3–4 lb (1.4–1.8 kg) that are not injected with solution.