Press saute on instant pot. When it's hot, add 1 Tbsp cooking oil. Add the crushed garlic and lemongrass. Saute for about 1 minute. Add the chicken pieces follow by galangal powder, coriander powder, seasonings, and bay leaves. Pour in coconut water and stir to mix everything
Turn off saute mode. Close the lid. Turn the steam release valve to seal. Press pressure cooker, high pressure and set timer to 12 minutes. When timer is up, release pressure immediately
Unlock the lid and carefully transfer the chicken pieces out and let them cool down before deep frying. You can save the stock for other use if you want to (I save it to make chicken noodle soup). Proceed to deep-frying
Cooking on stove-top:
Preheat a large pot. Add 1 Tbsp cooking oil. Saute the garlic and lemongrass until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken pieces follow by galangal powder, coriander powder and seasonings. Pour in coconut water and stir to mix everything
Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to let it gently simmer until the chicken pieces are cooked through and the meat is tender. Add a bit of coconut water if the liquid evaporates before the chicken pieces are cooked through
Once the chicken pieces are cooked through, remove the chicken to let them cool down. Save the liquid for other use if you want too. Proceed to deep-frying
Deep-fry the chicken:
Heat oil in a fryer/wok and fry chicken until golden brown
Serving:
Serve the chicken pieces with sambal . In Medan where I grew up, kecap manis is also used in addition to the sambal