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Chicken pieces are cooked in aromatic kam heong sauce. They are easy to make and super delicious.
This recipe is inspired by the kam heong lala I made a while ago with few tweaks. I wrote in more details about what kam heong is in that post if you are interested. Basically, kam heong sauce is a fusion of Chinese, Malay, and Indians.
Chinese elements: dried shrimp, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce
Malay and Indian elements: curry powder, curry leaves
The combinations of all these different elements create a very complex flavor. A good one at that! The best part is, this dish is not complicated to make.
For a healthier version
The chicken is usually marinated and deep-fried, but you can pan fry the chicken pieces instead. That alone cuts down on calories significantly 🙂
How to make kam heong chicken in a few simple steps
In this step-by-step tutorial, I showed how kam heong chicken is made with the deep-fried method
1. Soak the dried shrimp with water. Save the soaking liquid for later. Pat the chicken pieces dry with an absorbent paper towel. Marinade the chicken for at least 1 hour or overnight in the fridge
2. Mix all ingredients for kam heong sauce in a bowl
3. If you choose to deep fry, preheat about 2 inches of oil in a pan over medium heat. When you test the oil with a skewer, you’ll see bubbles around it, the oil is ready. Fry the chicken pieces in batches until they are golden brown and remove from the oil. Continue with the rest of the batch.
4. You can also fry for a second time for extra crunchy chicken. The second round should be faster because all we are doing is frying the chicken to make it crispier
5. Add about 3 Tbsp of oil to the wok/pan. Stir fry onion and garlic until fragrant, about 3 minutes or so
6. Add the soaked dried shrimp and curry leaves and stir fry for another minute
7. Add the seasonings followed by water + soaking liquid from the dried shrimp to make up to 100 ml. Simmer until the sauce is slightly reduced. Have a taste and adjust to your taste preference
8. Add the chicken pieces and stir to combine and make sure the chicken pieces are coated with the sauce. Serve warm with rice as part of a multi-course meal
Did you make this kam heong chicken recipe?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
This recipe was originally published on September 1, 2021. I have updated the recipe for improvement and included video tutorial on August 3, 2022.
Kam Heong Chicken (Golden Fragrant Chicken)
Ingredients
- 500 gr boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 Tbsp dried shrimp soaked in warm water and minced
- 100 ml water
- Cooking oil for deep frying
Marinade:
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp curry powder
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 5 Tbsp cornstarch
Aromatics:
- 70 gr shallots minced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 red chilies seeded, finely chopped
- 5 sprigs curry leaves remove from stems
Kam heong sauce:
- 1 Tbsp curry powder
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
Instructions
- Soak the dried shrimp with water. Save the soaking liquid for later
Marinate the chicken pieces:
- Pat the chicken pieces dry with an absorbent paper towel. Marinade the chicken for at least 1 hour or overnight in the fridge. If you plan to marinate overnight, add the cornstarch on the day you plan to cook it. Get the chicken out from the fridge for about 1 hour so they won't be cold, then add the cornstarch and mix
Fry the chicken pieces:
- Mix all ingredients for kam heong sauce in a bowl
- If you choose to deep fry, preheat about 2 inches of oil in a pan over medium heat. When you test the oil with a skewer, you'll see bubbles around it, the oil is ready
- Fry the chicken pieces in batches until they are golden brown and remove from the oil. Continue with the rest of the batch. You can also fry for a second time for extra crunchy chicken. The second round should be faster because all we are doing is frying the chicken to make it crispier
- You can also pan fry the chicken if you don't want to deep fry. Preheat a wok or a pan. Add about 3 Tbsp of cooking oil. Pan fry the chicken until they are slightly charred and cooked through. Remove from the pan
Prepare kam heong sauce:
- Add about 3 Tbsp of oil to the wok/pan. Stir fry onion and garlic until fragrant, about 3 minutes or so. Add the soaked dried shrimp and curry leaves and stir fry for another minute. Add the seasonings followed by water + soaking liquid from the dried shrimp to make up to 100 ml. Simmer until the sauce is slightly reduced. Have a taste and adjust to your taste preference
Put everything together:
- Add the chicken pieces and stir to combine and make sure the chicken pieces are coated with the sauce
- Serve warm with rice as part of a multi-course meal
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
6 comments
Hi! I’ve made this recipe a few times and it really is so simple and delicious! Could I replace the chicken with prawns and keep the rest of the recipe the same?
Hi Dee, I’m glad you like it! Yes, you can definitely swap the chicken with seafood like prawns! It will be tasty too I believe!
It was amazing!! Totally enjoyed it. I air fry the chicken thigh but use potatoes starch n corn flour. Without the sauce it was good enough for me but the flavor sure meld together with the sauce. Definitely a keeper. Thanks. Make my house smells wonderful too.
Hi Lilian! Thank you for sharing how you did it with an air fryer. I will try that with air fryer next time! I’m so happy to know that you enjoyed it 🙂
You searched for Hi Marvellina, is the texture of the rice cake harder or softer than the Indonesian lontong or ketupat?
HI Tuty, you may have commented on the wrong recipe, But I am assuming you are asking about the char koay kak rice cake ? it has very similar texture with lontong as a matter of fact