Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Ayam Goreng (Malaysian Fried Chicken) Recipe
Marinated in a aromatic curry paste earlier than tossing in cornflour to make the coating extremely craggy and crunchy because it fries, Ayam Goreng is Malaysia’s reply to Southern Fried Chicken. Within the crowded taking part in discipline of fried chicken, it’s a sizzling contender for the world’s greatest!
Human beings love fried chicken. It explains why so many cultures have some model of this wickedly scrumptious meals, and each nation thinks their model is king.
However why play favourites? I believe there may be room on this world (and my stomach) for all nice fried chickens to fortunately coexist. For one, my mom would put my head on a stick if I didn’t make point out of Karaage (Japanese fried chicken). And in case you haven’t but tried Home made Southern-style KFC, your life is about to drastically enhance as a result of it really kicks the Colonel’s soggy stuff to the curb!
Which brings us to the Malaysians and Indonesians. Their model of fried chicken known as Ayam Goreng in Malay (actually, nicely, “fried chicken”!) Or ought to I say variations – these nations are so bonkers about fried chicken they haven’t one however at the least a dozen totally different types! Some battered, some floured, some merely marinated and fried with no coating in any respect. Some come slathered with fiery sambal, others with beguiling sauces, and others nonetheless are served plain to let their crunchy glory shine.
This model I’m sharing in the present day is a Malaysian-style Ayam Goreng. We marinate the chicken in a wealthy curry paste full of traditional South-East Asian components. Including just a little flour to the combo simply earlier than frying then offers you a crispy, salty, craggy crust that’s a complete flavour bomb!
Right here’s what that you must make the marinade for the Ayam Goreng:
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Galangal is an ingredient utilized in South East Asian cooking that appears much like ginger. It additionally tastes like ginger however is extra citrusy and just a little pine-y. It’s truly fairly exhausting to chop so take care when slicing it! Peel it like ginger, both with a pointy edge teaspoon or (fastidiously!) with a small knife.
Discover it at Asian shops, and in some massive grocery shops in Australia (Harris Farm and a few Woolworths promote it).
Sub: Use the identical quantity of ginger + the zest of 1 lime (or lemon).
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Lemongrass – To organize, lower and discard the highest reedy half off – we solely need the underside 10 – 12cm / 4 – 5″. Peel the reedy inexperienced shell to disclose the softer white half on the underside half of the lemongrass.
Sub: 1 tbsp lemongrass paste.
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Eschalots – Also called French onions, and are known as “shallots” within the US. They appear to be child onions, however have purple-skinned flesh, and are finer and sweeter. To not be confused with what some individuals in Australia name “shallots” ie the lengthy inexperienced onions.
They fluctuate drastically in measurement! We need to use 2 x small(ish) ones, round 2/3 cup in whole as soon as chopped.
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Ginger and garlic – Widespread (however important!) aromatics on this Malaysian curry marinade.
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Salt – The recipe requires 1 1/2 teaspoons which could sound like so much, however we wish it to penetrate throughout into the flesh!
Be aware: I exploit cooking/kosher salt in cooking which is bigger grains that desk salt. So in case you’ve solely obtained desk salt, cut back it to 1 teaspoon (as a result of the grains are a lot finer, so 1 teaspoon desk salt = slightly below 1 1/2 teaspoons of cooking salt by weight).
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Coconut milk – This gives the liquid for the marinade so it may be blitzed. Some recipes simply use water. I promise you, coconut milk makes it all of the extra scrumptious! The small quantity we use doesn’t make it coconut-y (which might not be conventional) nevertheless it provides a contact of sweetness (conventional) and simply extra flavour than, nicely, water!
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Spices – The spices proven above are pretty commonplace for Ayam Goreng. Some recipes use much less, some extra. This combine gives loads of genuine flavour.
The cumin, coriander and fennel seeds are toasted then blitzed right into a powder first earlier than including the remainder of the curry paste components. Toasting is crucial as a result of it brings out the flavour!
Chicken for Ayam Goreng
I purchase bone-in thighs, drumsticks and wings for ease. For a real Malaysian fried chicken expertise, lower up your personal chicken so that you get breast items as nicely, however make sure you hold the pores and skin on and bone in. Reduce the breast into 2 items by the bone.
Smaller is best – Thigh items which can be 200g/7oz or much less every are higher, to make sure they cook dinner by so that you just don’t have to fuss with ending them within the oven. I’ve cooked 220g/7.7oz bone-in thighs with no issues. If they’re massive 250g/8.8oz ones you then both have to fry them to a really, very deep golden within the oil OR end in oven.
Chicken bites: Ayam Goreng works very well as bite-size chicken items too. Use boneless thigh fillets, lower into massive 4 x 5cm / 1.6 x 2″ items. Comply with the recipe, besides cook dinner for simply 3 minutes.
This recipe includes blitzing up a curry paste, marinating the chicken in it to infuse it with (superior!) flavour, including cornflour to make a craggy crunchy coating, then frying to golden perfection!
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Toast spices: Toast spices in a small skillet over medium warmth (no oil) for two minutes or till the spices odor aromatic. The aim of this step is to carry out the flavour.
As quickly as they’re toasted, instantly switch seeds into Nutribullet, a small meals processor OR right into a tall jug that matches a stick blender. Don’t go away them sitting round within the skillet – the residual warmth will burn these tiny little seeds!
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Curry paste: Add remaining Curry Paste components within the Nutribullet (or blitzing equipment of alternative).
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Blitz till easy. It doesn’t should be 100% easy like when making curry pastes as a result of any chunks get cooked when it fries. However nor would you like massive chunks. Intention for simply fairly easy – a little bit of graininess when rubbed between your fingers is okay.
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Marinate: Pour Curry Paste over chicken in a ziplock bag, toss to coat, then marinate for twenty-four hours within the fridge, as much as 48 hours. Any longer than this doesn’t add any extra flavour, and I’d begin to be involved about compromising the freshness of the chicken.
Bowl vs ziplock bag – I attempt to reuse ziplock baggage each time attainable nevertheless it’s not viable on this case as a result of the marinade is greasy and makes the bag odor. Whereas a bowl will work, it doesn’t fairly have the identical marinating impact as a result of it doesn’t envelope the curry paste throughout the chicken in the identical manner.
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Cornflour / cornstarch – Subsequent, we toss the chicken in cornflour / cornstarch. It mixes into the marinade paste to make it thicker and persist with the chicken which fries up right into a scrumptious craggy crust.
Cornflour works higher than wheat flour as a result of it fries up crisper. A little bit fried meals trivia to your day!
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Fry in oil preheated to 180°C/350°F for 8 minutes (wings for five minutes), or till deep golden brown and inside temperature at thickest half is 75°C / 167°F.
I exploit vegetable or canola oil for frying. However any impartial oil will work fantastic right here, even a light-weight olive oil.
For the frying vessel, I like to make use of my heavy-based forged iron pot (Dutch oven) which retains and distributes warmth evenly. I additionally really feel it’s safer as a result of it’s deep and it’s heavy so it’s not like to maneuver on the range.
Air fryers: Sorry, this gained’t work with an air fryer! The batter is kind of moist so it’s unlikely to correctly crisp. Be at liberty to strive although, and let everybody know within the feedback the way you went!
In case you’re a little bit of fried chicken connoisseur, you’ll discover that Ayam Goreng is kind of a bit darker in color than Southern Fried Chicken. That is due to the curry marinade, that has turn out to be a part of the crust. These phrases ought to actually make your knees weak. And lordy, the odor of this chicken!!! *She feels faint on the reminiscence*
I sprinkled these with just a little garnish of crispy and salty garlic with chilli and inexperienced onions only for just a little color and much more flavour. It’s not conventional – the truth is, it’s one thing I borrowed from Chinese language salt and pepper squid! 😂 So it’s 100% non-obligatory.
I confess my Malaysian recipe assortment is considerably wanting. However being a melting pot tradition with a big Chinese language inhabitants, just about any Chinese language dish will likely be proper at house alongside Ayam Goreng.
Serve it with a facet of Fried Rice (or much more authentically, Coconut Rice! Additionally see the astonishingly common Baked Fried Rice from earlier this week) and a contemporary Asian Leafy Salad or Asian Slaw. For one thing with zing, Inexperienced Papaya Salad can be sensational on the facet of this!
Sesame Noodles that are served at room temperature would additionally go very nicely, as would this Lettuce with Sesame Dressing (truthfully, I may eat a complete head of iceberg lettuce with this dressing!).
Get pleasure from! – Johnsat x
PS. In case you’re questioning, you completely do NOT want a dipping sauce for this fried chicken! It’s flavoured proper by to the bone, and the crust is extraordinarily nicely seasoned.
Ingredients
- 1.25 kg / 2.5 lb chichen thighs ad drumsticks, bone in skin on (I use 4 thighs, 3 drumsticks, Note 1)
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 3 garlic cloves , roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger , roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp galangal , roughly chopped (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 tsp curry powder (any type fine, mild or spicy – your choice)
- 1 lemongrass , white part only roughly chopped (Note 3)
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 small eshalots (French onions, US: shallots), peeled and roughly chopped (Note 4)
- 1 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt (or 1 tsp table salt)
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder , adjust to taste (Note 5)
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 7 tbsp coconut milk (full fat best!)
- 1/2 cup cornflour / cornstarch
- 1.75 litres / quarts vegetable or canola oil
- 1 tbsp garlic ,minced (not too small, else it burns)
- 1 tbsp large red chilli (cayenne pepper), deseeded and minced
- 1 tbsp green onion , minced
- Pinch of salt
- Coriander/cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Toast spices: Toast spices in a small skillet over medium heat (no oil) for 2 minutes or until the spices smell fragrant. Transfer seeds into Nutribullet, small food processor OR into a tall jug that fits a stick blender.
- Curry paste: Add remaining Curry Paste ingredients and blend until smooth.
- Marinate: Pour Curry Paste over chicken in a ziplock bag (or bowl, Note 6). Toss to coat, then marinate for 24 hours in the fridge, up to 48 hours.
- Dechill chicken: Remove chicken from fridge 30 minutes prior to cooking and transfer into a bowl (most marinade should be stuck to chicken).
- Preheat oven to 80°C/175°F and place rack on tray – to keep chicken warm. (Note 7)
- Cornflour coating: Add cornflour to chicken and toss to coat – it will thicken the paste, this is what makes the craggy coating.
- Heat oil 180°C/350°F: Pour oil into a wide, heavy based pot to a depth of 6 cm / 2.5 " (my 26cm/10.5" cast iron pot = 1.75L/quarts oil, Note 8). Heat over medium high heat to 180°C/350°F – maintain temp as best you can (Note 9). This recipe will NOT work well with an air fryer – see Note 8.
- Fry: Carefully place 3 pieces of chicken in, do not touch for 2 min (to let crust adhere). Oil temperature should drop to 150°C/300°C – increase heat if needed.
- Fry 8 minutes (75°C / 167°F): Fry for 8 minutes (wings for 5 minutes), or until deep golden brown and internal temperature at thickest part is 75°C / 167°F.
- Keep warm: Place cooked chicken onto rack and keep warm in oven. Cook remaining chicken.
- Serve immediately, sprinkled with coriander and garlic-chilli garnish, if using. See in post for side dish suggestions!
- Heat 3 tbsp oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chilli, cook until garlic is starting to go light golden. Then add green onion and cook until garlic is golden. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with salt. Cool then sprinkle on chicken.
Notes
1. Chicken – I buy bone in thighs, drumsticks and wings for ease. For true Malaysian fried chicken experience, cut up your own chicken so you get breast pieces as well – ensure you keep the skin on and bone in. Cut breast into 2 pieces through the bone.
Smaller is better – thighs 200g/7oz or less is better, to ensure they cook through so you don’t need to worry about fuss with finishing them in the oven. I’ve cooked 220g/7.7oz bone in thighs with no problems. If they get to 250g/8.8oz then you either need to take them to very, very deep golden in the oil OR finish in oven.
CHICKEN BITES: Recipe works really well with bite size chicken too. Use boneless thigh fillets, cut into large 4 x 5cm / 1.6 x 2″ pieces. Follow recipe to marinade and coat, then fry 3 minutes. (Breast works too but take care cooking as it dries out easier).
2. Galangal is an ingredient used in South East Asian cooking that looks like ginger and tastes like ginger but is more citrusy. It’s actually pretty hard to cut so take care when slicing it! Peel it like ginger – either with a sharp edge teaspoon or (carefully!) with a small knife.
Find it at Asian stores, and in some large grocery stores in Australia (Harris Farms and some Woolworths sell it).
Sub: Use the same amount of ginger + the zest of 1 lime (or lemon).
3. Lemongrass – To prepare, cut and discard the top reedy part off – we only want the bottom 10 – 12cm / 4 – 5″. Peel the reedy green shell to reveal the softer white part on the bottom half of the lemongrass.
Sub: 1 tbsp lemongrass paste.
4. Eschalots – Also known as French onions, and are called “shallots” in the US. They look like baby onions, but have purple-skinned flesh, are finer and sweeter. Not to be confused with what some people in Australia call “shallots” ie the long green onions.
They vary drastically in size! We want to use 2 x small(ish) ones, around 2/3 cup in total once chopped.
5. Chilli powder – This recipe calls for pure chilli powder, not US chili powder which is a blend of spices and is not as spicy (often labelled “blend”). Anything labelled “chilli powder” in Australia (and generally outside the US) is pure chilli. If you’re in the US, best to go to an Asian store, bit tricky to be 100% confident when buying online.
Easy sub – Cayenne pepper. Similar spice level, and with all the other flavours going on, no one will be able to tell it’s cayenne pepper.
6. Bowl will work too, but ziplock bags work better because it works better to keep the marinade coated on the chicken.
7. Keeping chicken warm – this is the temp at which chicken will stay warm, keep the coating crispy but will not continue to cook the chicken inside. Rack required to ensure underside of chicken stays super crispy.
8. Frying vessel – I feel safe using a heavy cast iron pot because it’s heavy so it won’t move. For most oil efficiency, use a wok – shape means you will use about 30% less oil with same surface area for frying. If you have a deep fryer, I salute you!
Air fryers: Sorry, this recipe won’t work in an air fryer! The batter is quite wet, so it’s unlikely to crisp properly. Feel free to try though, and let people know in the comments how you went!
9. Oil temperature – use a thermometer or surface scanner thermometer. If you don’t have one, test by throwing in a lump of breading – should sizzle straight away but not burn quickly. OR stick a bamboo chopstick in and touch the base of the pot – if bubbles rise from floor of pot, oil is hot enough.
Cook time will vary based on factors like chicken size, pot heat retention, stability of stove etc. Best to use thermometer to check internal temperature, I have a Thermapen. The cook times provided in the recipe are for the chicken weights specified and heat oil temps provided, assuming a cast iron pot is used. Also use crust colour as a guide – it should be deep golden (darker than Southern Fried Chicken).
10. Cooking order – thighs and drumsticks cook in the same time, cook together first. Then wings, then (if using breast) do breast last. Reason: dark meat stays juicier in warmed oven, and breast cooks faster.
11. Oil reuse – I clean my oil using this simple cornflour/cornstarch method from Cooks Illustrated, else you can use a very fine mesh strainer (though some bits will get through) or just let the find bits settle then pour the clear top part off. Usually, I comfortably re-use oil 3 times once cleaned when frying mild flavoured foods. Unfortunately with Ayam Goreng, I find that it’s really not re-usable except to make similarly seasoned foods again because of the strength of the seasonings and because you cook with it for a good 25 minutes which is using the oil a lot more than usual deep frying recipes.
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