Grilled Coconut Chicken With Lemon Basil

As a chef and eater, I’m all about embracing the world’s cuisines. A new culinary blog called One Tribe Gourmet has just been launched, and I’d like to introduce it to you before we dive in to this amazing recipe – Grilled Coconut Chicken With Lemon Basil.

Sara, the author of One Tribe Gourmet, is a culinary genius, and her recipes come from all around the world.

Sara’s creations were all visual feasts, and her macro food photography is enticing in its vividness and delectability. Ayam panggang Sulawesi is grilled coconut chicken with lemon basil from One Tribe Gourmet, our newest guest blogger. The food looks delicious.

Let me begin by thanking Bee for including me in her beautiful blog, Rasa Malaysia, and requesting me to write a guest article. I’m speechless with gratitude.

Strangely, I’m writing a guest post for Rasa Malaysia, considering I’ve been a long-time admirer. A complete fluke led me to it. “Cradle of Flavor,” James Oseland’s James Beard Award-Winning book, was recommended to me by a friend who shares my interest in cooking in December 2009.

My interest in Malaysian, Indonesian, and Singaporean cuisine skyrocketed once I purchased and read the book. When I was curious about James’ book and James, I checked out his website.

I first learned about Rasa Malaysia through James Oseland’s website, and the rest is history. Both the webpage and the food have won me over. In February of 2010, I decided to establish my food blog and have sought Bee’s guidance numerous times.

A recipe that you’ll love!

You’ll love grilling this coconut chicken with lemon basil on the BBQ if you’re anything like me. When it’s hot outside, it’s a great dish to make. Everything I needed for this recipe was available at my local Asian grocery store.

Grilled coconut chicken with lemon basil, or Ayam panggang Sulawesi, is an Indonesian delicacy from Sulawesi in, Indonesia.

This recipe is perfect for grilling out this summer! Spiced coconut milk is simmered with ginger, fresh turmeric root, and chilies to create an aromatic curry-like soup for the chicken or drumsticks. Kaffir lime leaves and lemon basil garnish the dish (alternate with Thai basil). First, make a thick paste to baste the grilling chicken with the thickened soup.

Manado, the city of North Sulawesi, Indonesia, is known for its unique combination of ingredients when it comes to cooking chicken.

Ginger, lemon basil, and lemongrass are the cornerstones of Manado’s cuisine. When I read about Manado cuisine’s love of ginger, lemon basil, and lemongrass, I knew I had to go to Indonesia and Malaysia.

To truly appreciate a global cuisine, you must be willing to let your heart and head be open to it.

Sara, Best Wishes!

The average number of calories in one serving?

• Each serving of this recipe contains only 361 calories.

With this recipe, what are its complementary dishes?

I’ve compiled a collection of healthy and quick recipes to prepare on a weeknight.

• NASI GORENG (INDONESIAN FRIED RICE)
• INDONESIAN FRIED NOODLES (MIE GORENG)
• CHICKEN RENDANG
• NYONYA FISH CUSTARD WRAPPED WITH BANANA LEAVES 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 piece fresh, peeled, and grounded turmeric root
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 8 whole kaffir lime leaves
• 4 tablespoon peanut oil
• 3 to 4 red Thai chilies, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup of loosely packed fresh lemon basil; alternatively, use Thai basil 
• 6 candlenuts, I found them in my Asian grocery, or unsalted macadamia nuts
• 8 shallots, coarsely chopped
• 2 stalks of lemongrass cut into 2 inches (5 cm) long pieces
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• cut-up chicken
• 1 ½ cups of unsweetened coconut milk
• 3 ½ teaspoons fresh grated ginger

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the shallots, garlic, red and green chilies, candlenuts, turmeric, and ginger in a small food processor to make the paste. Pulse until you get a nice paste out of it.
2. Over medium-low heat, add the 4 tbsp of oil to a large skillet (nonstick). Simmering oil should produce a roaring fire when you pour in the paste. Continue to cook until the shallots and garlic are no longer raw and the paste separates from the oil, then remove from heat. 5 minutes of cooking time. Once you’ve finished with the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and basil, After 3 minutes of cooking, the dish will have a lemony scent.
3. Pour in the coconut milk and salt and mix thoroughly to incorporate the flavoring paste into the mixture. Simmer the coconut milk for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly, at a little higher temperature. Take a sip and enjoy the flavor of the broth. Ideally, the dish should be savory and smoky.

Follow the next steps:

1. Before serving, remove any excess fat and skin from the chicken and pat it dry. You can use a fork to pierce the bird.
2. Cook the chicken in the coconut milk broth over low heat until it is cooked through. To prevent burning, stir the chicken every 5 minutes until it is approximately 3/4 done, which should take 30 to 40 minutes. Tender but not mushy or falling off the bone chicken is ideal. It is possible to use the chicken pieces in a different meal. Let the Coconut broth simmer and thicken a bit further before adding it to the dish.
3. I cooked the chicken on my gas grill outside at medium-high heat. When the grill marks appeared, I cooked the chicken for another 5 minutes on each side!
4. Lemongrass coconut rice and a Javanese Carrots & Cucumbers Salad are two of our favorite dishes.