Adam Liaw's Ayam Kapitan

Equipment:

Food processor (hand-held stick blender with food processor bowl attachment is fine)
Mortar and pestle
Large heavy-based saucepan (large enough to fit a whole chicken)
Cutting board
Several bowls for separate ingredients
Serving plate

Ingredients:

Base Paste
8 red birdseye chillies (seeded and cut)
3 red shallots
5 cloves garlic
1 inch each ginger, galangal and turmeric (peeled and sliced)
5 candlenuts
2 stalks lemon grass, white part
1 tsp belacan

1 tbsp peanut oil
5 red shallots, sliced
1 whole 1.5kg chicken, jointed
300ml coconut cream
100ml water

Juice of 0.5 of a lime
2 kaffir lime leaves, to serve.

Method:

1. In a food process or mortar, combine the Base Paste ingredients and grind to a smooth paste. Joint the chicken and trim any visible fat.

2. Heat the oil in a saucepan big enough to hold the chicken and fry the paste until brown and fragrant. Add the additional shallots and chicken and coat in the paste. Fry for a further 2 minutes until the shallots are softened.

3. Add in the coconut cream and water and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes and then uncover and simmer for a further 5 minutes until the chicken is tender and the sauce is reduced. Add in the lime juice and stir well. Scatter with shredded kaffir lime leaves to serve.