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Lombok is known for its famous ayam bakar taliwang. Chicken pieces are coated in super aromatic spices and herbs and then grilled to perfection. The recipe can be made with Instant Pot or on the stove.
What is ayam bakar taliwang?
Ayam Bakar Taliwang is a fiery and aromatic grilled chicken dish from Lombok, Indonesia. Marinated in a bold blend of chilies, garlic, shrimp paste, and tamarind, this dish is known for its intense heat, smoky aroma, and deep umami flavor. Traditionally grilled over charcoal, the chicken develops a beautifully charred exterior while staying juicy inside. Often served with steamed rice and plecing kangkung (spicy water spinach salad), Ayam Bakar Taliwang is a must-try for spice lovers and a true taste of Indonesian cuisine.The chicken is cooked in aromatic spices and other ingredients and then usually grilled in an open fire (bakar). A modern twist to the recipe is to grill or broil the chicken in the oven to get that nice golden brown and some light chars.
Traditional ayam bakar taliwang is made extremely spicy. I did not make mine too spicy because my kids cannot handle that much heat yet. They can eat spicy food, but not at the extreme level…yet!
Special ingredients
1. KENCUR (LESSER GALANGAL/SAND GINGER)
Kencur gives a very distinctive aroma to this dish. It’s hard to describe the aroma, but it’s not similar to ginger or galangal (lengkuas), despite many people say you can substitute with galangal and ginger. If you can find kencur powder, then you can use it. If you have never had kencur before, chances are you won’t know anyway, and you can use galangal instead. I won’t use ginger because it’s not even close to what kencur aroma supposed to be
2. SHRIMP PASTE
I use a shrimp paste (wet kind), but in Indonesia, most people will use the dry terasi that comes in a block. If you use the dry terasi, break them up in smaller pieces and toast them briefly on a dry pan until aromatic
3. CANDLENUTS (KEMIRI)
Many of Indonesian recipes use candlenuts. It adds some creaminess and thicker texture to the dish. You can always substitute with unsalted macadamia nuts, almonds, or cashew nuts
Parts of chicken to use
Ayam bakar dishes like this are usually made with bone-in skin-on chicken pieces. I use a combination of chicken thighs and drumsticks (pretty big drumsticks), since they cook at pretty much the same time. You can use leg quarters or chicken wings too. I recommend using all the same cut or combinations of cut that have pretty close cooking time so the chicken is cooked at the same time
Ayam Bakar Taliwang (Lombok Grilled Chicken)
Ingredients
- 800 gr bone-in skin-on chicken drumsticks, chicken legs, thighs, or wings
- Juice of 1 lime
- 4 Tbsp coconut oil divided, or you can use your favorite cooking oil
- Water as needed
Ingredients to grind into a paste:
- 1 large purple onion or use 10 shallots
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 inch kencur or use 1 tsp kencur powder, omit if you don't have any
- 2 large tomatoes quartered
- 8 candlenuts or use macadamia nuts, cashew, or almond
- 10 red chilies or use 2-3 Tbsp of store-bought sambal oelek
- 5 bird's eye chilies optional, for extra spicyness
- 1 tsp shrimp paste
Seasoning:
- 1 Tbsp coconut sugar
- 2 tsp Salt to taste
Instructions
Ingredients to grind:
- Place all ingredients to grind in a food processor and process into a paste. Set aside
Prepare the chicken:
- If you decide to use a whole chicken, cut into pieces. Rub the juice of limes all over the chicken and let it stand for about 10 minutes
If cooking with Instant Pot:
- Press saute on Instant Pot. When it's hot, add 3 Tbsp coconut oil.
- Add the grind ingredients you prepared earlier
- Saute until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes or so
- . Add 1/2 cup of water and scrape the bottom of the pot to make sure nothing gets stuck on the pot. Add the chicken pieces followed by seasonings. Stir to roughly combine everything. You don't need much liquid when cooking with Instant Pot as not much liquid "escapes" throughout the cooking process. I used a mixture of drumsticks and thighs and set the timer to 15 minutes.
- Release pressure immediately after that and carefully unlock the lid
If cooking on the stove:
- Preheat a large pot. Add 3 Tbsp coconut oil. Add the grind ingredients you prepared earlier and saute until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes or so. Add the chicken pieces followed by seasonings. Stir to combine everything. Add water until it just covered the chicken pieces and roughly stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to let it simmer until the chicken pieces are cooked through, this may take 20-30 minutes depending the cut of chicken you use
Grill or Broil the chicken:
- When the chicken pieces are cooked through, remove the chicken pieces and place them on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil
- You will still see some liquid inside. . You can continue to simmer and reduce the liquid until they are almost dry or what I did was, I strain the liquid and save it to use as a stock to cook rice or other dishes.
- You will see the solids left behind. Mix this solid with 1 Tbsp of coconut oil.
- Brush this over the chicken pieces
- If you decide to use the oven, turn on the oven to 400 F (200 C). Arrange the chicken pieces on a baking tray lined with aluminum foil. Grill the chicken for 5 minutes each side or until they are nicely brown with some lightly charred spot or until you like how they look
- If you use the broiler, broil the chicken until they are nicely brown with some lightly charred spots. Do not walk away as the chicken pieces may get burnt
Serve:
- Let the chicken pieces rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with Lombok Plecing Kangkung
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
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16 comments
More often than not, I try out recipes online for things I’ve never eaten, especially things like regional Indonesian dishes. But this… I might’ve had? I visited Lombok briefly, and I have a vague memory of eating EXTREMELY SPICY chicken in a roadside tent restaurant on a main tourist street in Mataram. That being said, not being Indonesian or having easy access to Indonesian ingredients, I doubt I came close to the real thing, but I loved it anyway! I even used the broth to make rice and that was amazingly delicious, making for an easy complete meal (plus acar). At least I have kemiri and belacan, but I’m sure the usual substitutes would also work well in a pinch. Definitely recommend for anyone interested in recreating the Indonesian barbeque experience.
I have never even visited Lombok and I’m Indonesian (shame..shame…!). One thing about Indonesian cooking is that the list of ingredients can be pretty intimidating and not to mention they are not easy to find ones too. I’m glad you still made it worked with substitutions you had on hand though!! (bravo)
Hi Marv,
Will omitting shrimp paste change the flavor profile significantly?
Thanks a lot!
Hi Silvia, you should be okay. It won’t drastically change the taste 🙂
I’m so excited to have found your site! I’m an Indonesian living in Canada and have been trying to make more dishes I love at home. Question, I’ve been having difficulty finding cabe besar/the bigger red chilies usually used in Indonesian cooking. Could I substitute that with red peppers? Thanks so much!
Hi Shila, so glad you stumbled upon my blog 🙂 I can’t always find the cabe besar too, and if I do, they are expensive too. Yes, you can use red peppers, or sometimes I just use the store-bought sambal oelek (made by Huey Fong – the same company who make the sriracha sauce). You can use whatever brand you can too. I hope this helps 🙂
I discovered this wonderful site completely by accident while trying to identify a mystery chicken dish I had in Java in 2020. (It was Ayam Bakar Taliwang). Great site!
Hi Michael, I’m glad you enjoyed ayam bakar Taliwang. It is one of my favorites too 🙂
Cooked it today – Simply delicious!!!!!
Thank you very much for sharing this yummy recipe 🙏
Hi Lynda, yay!!! So glad you like it 🙂