Opor Ayam and Triple-Beans Stir-Fry
When my sister was staying over at my place, she showed me to cook opor ayam (chicken in coconut sauce) with a mix of proper and easy way – which unfortunately due to it’s yummy factor, went down the digestive system without being properly immortalized. I did however take a picture of the side dish, triple-beans stir-fry, or tumis kacang panjang/tempe/tauge. Both are two of my favourite Indonesian dishes. Here are my (and my sister’s) way of cooking them if you want to try it out.
Opor Ayam (chicken in coconut sauce)
- 1 kilograms of chicken pieces (I used all upper thighs so they cook evenly, plus I like the tenderness of the thighs);
- a slice (about 3 mm thick) of galingale, crushed;
- a slice (about 3 mm thick) of ginger, crushed;
- one lemongrass, crush and tie into a knot to avoid it from breaking apart into strings;
- 2 bay leaves;
- salt to taste;
- 1 pack of Indofood opor ayam spice mix
- 1 cup of coconut milk
Put the chicken together with the galingale, ginger, bay leaves, lemongrass and salt in a pot, add water only enough to soak them. Don’t add too much water because we want the water to be concentrated enough to give taste to the chicken, plus the chicken itself will also release some juice. Cook, covered, until boiling. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to very low and leave simmering, uncovered, for about half an hour. This would let the taste seep into the chicken and ensure the chicken is cooked thoroughly. The low heat will prevent it from getting too dry.
After simmering for 30 minutes, remove the above herbs, add the Indofood opor ayam spice mix, mix well, and bring to boil again. Finally, add the coconut milk, bring to boil. Season with salt and pepper if needed. The opor ayam is ready to be served 
Triple-beans stir-fry
- 5 shallots, sliced thinly. Indonesian shallots are very small, if you are using the normal sized shallots, use about 2 large ones;
- 2 garlic, sliced thinly;
- one lemongrass, crush and tie into a knot;
- a slice of galingale, crushed;
- one bay leaf;
- two kaffir lime leaves;
- 2-3 large red chilli peppers, sliced thinly. Remove the seeds if you can’t stand hot and spicy food;
- 1 pack of soybean cake (about 5cm x 10cm) cut into dices and fry in advance after soaking for a while in water, mixed with two teaspoons of ground coriander, some salt and one crushed garlic;
- one handful of bean sprouts, remove the roots;
- one knot of long beans (about 5-6 long ones), cut 4cm long;
Stir-fry the shallots and garlic with a small amount of oil, until fragrant. Add the lemongrass, galingale, bay leaf, lime leaves and red chilli peppers, stir-fry again until fragrant. Add the long beans, mix well and cook until slightly tender, add the bean sprouts, mix well and cook until tender or to your preference. When done, turn of the heat and toss in the soybean cake. Bon appétit!
Tags: beans, beansprouts, chicken, opor ayam, soybean cake