Nasi bakar ayam suwir kemangi (Grilled rice with chicken and basil)
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 596kcal
Fragrant Indonesian grilled rice stuffed with spiced chicken, basil, and chili, wrapped in banana leaves, and grilled to smoky perfection.
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Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 500 g boneless skinless chicken thighs You can use breast too
- 6 pieces red Anaheim or Fresno peppers or red jalapeno
- 1 fresh ginger about 2 inches long
- 1 small red onion peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic peeled and finely minced
- 6 candlenuts or use macadamia nuts
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil plus more for brushing banana leaves
- 6 fresh kaffir lime leaves tear edges to release flavor
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 cube chicken bouillon or 1 tsp chicken powder seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 350 g chicken broth from poaching the chicken
For the rice:
- 3 cups white long-grain rice
- ½ cup coconut cream
- 3 cups chicken broth from poaching the chicken
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 bay leaves 4 if you are using dried bay leaves
- 1 stalk lemongrass cut into half and bruise with heavy object
- 3 pandan leaves knotted, omit if you don't have any
- 3 fresh bay leaves or use 6 dried bay leaves
- 1 stalk lemongrass
To wrap with rice:
- 2 cups basil leaves divided
- 12 red chili optional
Things you need to wrap the rice:
- 6 pieces of 10 x 10 inch banana leaves thaw if frozen, wiped clean with damp cloth
- Tooth picks
Instructions
Poach the chicken:
- Place chicken in a large pot and fill up with water, about 2 inches above the chicken. Bring the water to a boil and then turn off the heat. Close the lid and remove the pot from the heat. Set the timer to 30 minutes.
- After the time is up, remove the chicken from the pot and let it rest for 10 minutes. Save the liquid from poaching the chicken
- After 10 minutes, shred the chicken meat and set aside
Prepare the spice paste:
- While the chicken is poaching, put ginger, onion, garlic, chili peppers, candlenuts in a food processor and process into a thick coarse paste
Cook the chicken with spices and herbs:
- Preheat a large pan or wok. Add 1 Tbsp of oil. Add the spice paste you prepared earlier and saute until aromatic over a medium heat, about 5 minutes or so
- Add the lime leaves, turmeric powder, salt, sugar, chicken bouillon, and the broth. Stir to mix everything evenly, cook for about 1 minute.
- Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil and then lower the heat to let it simmer for about 3-5 minutes or until some of the extra liquid has evaporated and the chicken is moist but not soupy. Have a taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Turn off the heat.
- Stir in 1 cup of basil leaves and give it a final stir to combine. Set aside while you cook the rice
Cook the rice on the stove:
- Briefly rinse the rice with clean water until it runs clear and drain the water. To a heavy-bottom pot with a tight-fitting lid, add 3 cups of chicken broth from poaching the chicken (top up with more chicken broth or water if you don't have enough), rice, coconut cream, bay leaves, pandan leaves, lemongrass, and salt. Give it a stir.
- Bring to a gentle simmer and cover the pot and let it cook for the next 20 minutes. Turn off heat, and let it sit for another 10 minutes. Uncover and check on the rice. It should be fluffy and cooked through. Fluff the rice with a rice paddle or a fork
Cook the rice in rice cooker:
- Briefly rinse the rice with clean water until it runs clear and drain the water. To a the inner pot of the rice cooker, add 3 cups of chicken broth from poaching the chicken (top up with more chicken broth or water if you don't have enough), rice, coconut cream, bay leaves, pandan leaves, lemongrass, and salt. Give it a stir.
- Set the rice cooker to whatever setting you use to cook white rice. When it's done. Wait 10 minutes and then fluff the rice with a rice paddle or a fork
Cook the rice in Instant Pot pressure cooker:
- Briefly rinse the rice with clean water until it runs clear and drain the water. To a the inner pot of Instant Pot, add 3 cups of chicken broth from poaching the chicken (top up with more chicken broth or water if you don't have enough), rice, coconut cream, bay leaves, pandan leaves, lemongrass, and salt. Give it a stir.
- Press the "rice" setting and it will automatically turn on the "low-pressure" mode. Set the pressure release valve to "sealing". It takes about 12 minutes to cook. When it's done, do natural release. Carefully unlock the lid and fluff the rice with a rice paddle or a fork
To assemble:
- Place one large sheet of banana leaves on your working surface. The size of the banana leaves depends on how big or small each packet you want it to be. You can cut it to the size you want. If the banana leaves are stiff, pass each washed banana leaf over low heat (gas stove flame or grill), WITHOUT touching the flame. Or you can simply dip the leaves in hot water for 10-20 seconds.
- Scoop about 1-2 cups of the cooked rice (it's really up to you how big or small you want your rice packet be) and place in the middle of banana leaves. Use a rice paddle or a spoon to help you "pack down" the rice to make it more compact. Pile on some of the shredded chicken on top of the rice. Again, use a spoon or a rice paddle to help you pack it down. Place a few pieces of fresh basil leaves on top, few fresh chili pieces .
- Fold the two sides over to cover the rice. Fold the other two sides and secure both ends with tooth pick.
- You can prepare ahead up to this point. Read my post for more details
To grill the rice packets:
- Preheat your outdoor grill or a regular large pan. Lightly brush the banana leaves with a bit of oil. Place each packet on the grill or pan over medium heat. Let it grill until the banana leaves have grill marks on them. The aroma is amazing. They are ready to be served.
Nutrition
Serving: 1packet | Calories: 596kcal | Carbohydrates: 89g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 1533mg | Potassium: 718mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1038IU | Vitamin C: 92mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 4mg
