Lemper Ayam (Rouleaux de riz gluant au poulet)

Put the chicken, water, 1 bay leaf and half the lemongrass in a small pot. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through with no pink inside. Lift out the chicken, reserve the stock, and shred the meat finely with two forks or your fingers once it is cool enough to handle.

• 300 g chicken
• 500 ml water
• 1 bay leaf
• half lemongrass stalk

✅ C'est prêt quand : the chicken is opaque all the way through and easy to pull apart into fine shreds

Blend or pound the shallots, garlic, candlenuts, coriander seeds and galangal into a smooth, fairly wet paste. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat, add the paste and kaffir lime leaves, and fry gently, stirring, until it smells fragrant and the raw onion smell is gone. Add the shredded chicken, coconut milk, palm sugar, salt and a splash of the reserved stock, then cook on low heat, stirring often, until the mixture looks dry, loose and fragrant with no visible liquid left.

• 4 shallots
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 candlenuts
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 cm galangal
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 kaffir lime leaves
• 100 ml coconut milk
• 1 tbsp palm sugar
• 1 tsp salt

✅ C'est prêt quand : the filling is dry enough to hold its shape when pressed, with no wet sheen