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Ingredients
Chef Sham Hanifa is owner and head chef at Leitrim's multi-award winning restaurant, The Cottage, known for its innovative Irish-Malaysian fusion, as well as being the driving force behind My Kitchen Café and Buffalo Boy Steakhouse & Gastro Bar.
Beyond his restaurants, Sham has authored the celebrated cookbook 'Agak Agak' as part of the Blasta Book series and developed his own range of signature sauces - Chef Sham Sauces - bringing his unique flavors to home kitchens. His passion for culinary excellence has solidified his standing as a respected figure in Irish cuisine.
Chicken Sambal with Nasi Lemak (Coconut Rice)
Serves: 4
Time: 1hr 30 minutes
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 3 lime leaves, shredded (use fresh or freshly frozen, not dried)
- 5 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 200ml water
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 200g green beans, cut into three or four pieces
For the tamarind juice:
- 45g tamarind pulp
- 300ml water
- For the spice paste:
- 8 shallots, roughly chopped
- 5 fresh red chillies, roughly chopped, seeds and all
- 4–5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 4–5 lime leaves
- 2 lemongrass stalks, roughly chopped
- a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, roughly chopped
For the nasi lemak:
- 500g basmati rice
- 2 thumb-sized pieces of ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 2–3 fresh pandan leaves, tied into a knot
- 2 x 400ml tins of full-fat coconut milk
- 200ml water
- 1 tbsp fine sea salt
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
Method
- To make the tamarind juice, soak the tamarind pulp in the water until the pulp has dissolved.
- To make the spice paste, blend all the ingredients until smooth in a high-speed blender or crush them together in a pestle and mortar.To make the nasi lemak, soak the rice in a bowl of cold water for at least 30 minutes, then drain and rinse until the water runs clear.
- Pop everything into a rice cooker if you have one and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions. If cooking on the hob, put everything in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil, then cover with a tight fitting lid, reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting and cook for 30–45 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed.
- To serve, discard the pandan leaves and fluff up the rice with a fork.
- Meanwhile, to make the sambal, heat the oil in a large wok or frying pan on a medium heat. Add the spice paste and cook for 5 minutes, stirring.
- Add the turmeric and cook for another 5 minutes, still stirring, until the paste has darkened in colour and the raw ingredients are all cooked.
- Add two-thirds of the lime leaves and all the tamarind juice and simmer for a few minutes, then add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, the fish sauce and the water.
- Stir in the chicken and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.
- Add the lime juice, 1 tablespoon of sugar and another 2 tablespoons of soy sauce to balance the sweetness. Cook for 10 minutes, until the sauce has reduced slightly and the oil has separated out of the sauce around the edges of the pan. It will look like a lot of oil, but don't worry!
- Add the green beans and cook for a few minutes, then finish with a final tablespoon of sugar, the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and the rest of the lime leaves. The sambal should have a good balance of sourness, saltiness and sweetness.
- Divide the sambal among bowls and serve with nasi lemak on the side.
- Serve with boiled egg (7 minutes) and sliced cucumber.
