Ayam Percik

Storing and Planning Ahead

Keeps in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat in a hot oven.

Ayam Percik: The Method

Tap a step to highlight it, or turn on Cook Mode for large type and step-by-step focus.

1. Blend the shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, chillies, turmeric and belacan to a paste. Rub half over the chicken with the salt and leave for 30 minutes.

   Mark done Start 30 min timer

2. Heat the oil and cook the remaining paste for 6 minutes until the oil separates. Add the coconut milk, tamarind and sugar and simmer for 8 minutes until thick.

   Mark done Start 6 min timer

3. Heat the grill to high. Grill the chicken for 25 minutes, turning every 6 minutes and brushing with the sauce, until charred at the edges and cooked through.

   Mark done Start 25 min timer

4. Serve with the remaining sauce spooned over.

   Mark done

Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

Something wrong or unclear in this recipe? Report a problem with this recipe.

Tips for Success

• Slash the chicken so the paste gets in.
• Brush with sauce only in the last 15 minutes to avoid burning.
• Cook over charcoal for the authentic flavour.

Some Background

Smoke is the point, but an oven grill does a fair job. Ayam percik comes from Kelantan on the east coast of Malaysia, where chicken is grilled over coals and brushed with a spicy coconut sauce called percik. The sauce caramelises on the hot meat and coats it in a thick, glossy, red-gold layer.

The marinade and the sauce share a base. Blend shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, fresh red chillies, turmeric and a little belacan to a paste. Rub half over the chicken and leave it for 30 minutes. Cook the rest in oil for 6 minutes until the oil separates, then add coconut milk, tamarind and sugar and simmer for 8 minutes until thick. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon.

Use chicken thighs and drumsticks, which stay juicy, and slash them twice so the paste can get in. Grill at a high heat for 25 minutes, turning, and brush with the sauce from time to time. The edges blacken slightly.

Serve the chicken with the remaining sauce spooned over, and rice or lemang (glutinous rice in bamboo).

What to Put Next to It

Steamed rice · Lemang · Cucumber slices · Sambal

Common Substitutions & Variations

• If coconut is a problem, a cooking cream (dairy or plant-based) can stand in for the coconut milk in a sauce; the dish will lose the coconut flavour and taste noticeably different.
• Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the red chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
• If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.

Ayam Percik FAQ

The Numbers per Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: weights that include bone are counted as if all of it were eaten, so the figures run high; part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

Your own rating out of 5

5 stars★ 4 stars★ 3 stars★ 2 stars★ 1 star★

Your note

Save note

Private to you: notes and ratings are saved in this browser only, are never sent anywhere, and other readers cannot see them.