Smashed Fried Chicken with Sambal

Name: Smashed Fried Chicken with Sambal
Cuisine: Asian, Indian
Ingredients: 8-12 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks; 1¾ tbsp sea salt; 200g plain flour; 1½ tbsp cornflour; 250ml/8.5 oz/1 cup buttermilk (or 235ml whole milk mixed with 1 tbsp rice vinegar or white wine vinegar); 2 egg whites; 2 tbsp vodka or other neutral clear spirit; Sunflower oil, for deep-frying; For the spice mix 1½ tbsp sea salt; 1½ tbsp ground coriander; 1½ tbsp ground cumin; ¾ tsp ground turmeric; ¾ tsp ground nutmeg; 1½ tbsp ground white pepper; 1½ tsp ground black pepper; 20 long red chillies (about 250g), deseeded and sliced; 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced; 4cm piece of ginger (about 20g), peeled and sliced; 2 small banana shallots or 4 Thai shallots, peeled and sliced 180g cherry tomatoes; 1 tsp tamarind paste (or 1 tsp lime juice mixed with 1 tsp brown sugar); ½ tsp palm sugar or brown sugar Sea salt and black pepper, to taste Coconut oil or sunflower oil, for frying

10 steps

Updated at: Wed, 08 Jan 2025 08:14:09 GMT

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Instructions

Step 1

Place the chicken pieces on a tray and, 30 minutes before you are ready to cook, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the salt all over the meat. Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes. You must then fry the chicken immediately, otherwise it will spoil.

Step 2

Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the spice mix. Place half of it in a mixing bowl and set aside. Place the other half in another mixing bowl and stir in the plain flour, the remaining ¾ tablespoon salt and the cornflour.

Step 3

In a third bowl, lightly whisk together the buttermilk, egg whites and vodka to make the batter.

Step 4

When the chicken has nearly finished brining, fill a deep saucepan one-third full with oil and heat it to 160°C. (If you do not have a kitchen thermometer, check the oil is at temperature by adding a cube of bread; it should turn golden in 25-30 seconds.)

Step 5

Once the chicken has brined in the salt for 30 minutes, you can coat it in the spices and flour. Without wiping the salt off (I find it gives added flavour), dip the chicken pieces first in the spice mix and then in the spiced flour, ensuring each piece is completely coated and shaking off any excess flour. Arrange the chicken pieces on a tray, ready to be battered and fried.

Step 6

When you are ready to fry the chicken, dip the flour-coated pieces into the buttermilk batter and carefully lower them straight into the hot oil.

Step 7

Working in batches, fry the chicken pieces for about 10-12 minutes or until dark golden and crispy, depending on the size of the pieces.

Step 8

To test if they are cooked through, the thighs and drumsticks should be cooked to 82°C. (If you do not have a probe thermometer, make a small slice into the thickest part of the chicken - it is cooked when the juices run clear and the meat is fibrous inside, with no opaque pink flesh.)

Step 9

Once cooked, remove the fried chicken from the hot oil and place on a wire rack set over a baking tray lined with paper towels to allow any excess oil to drain - the chicken may lose its crispness if left to rest directly on paper towels.

Step 10

The chicken will look crispy, golden and beautiful, but the tradition in Indonesia is to smash the batter on the chicken and then drizzle it with a delicious sambal. Place each chicken piece on a chopping board and bash it with a pestle, mallet or rolling pin using a little force. You only need to bash it on one side. Smear the sambal over the smashed chicken surface and serve immediately.