Recipe: Famous Ayam Pelecingan Taliwang ( Plecingan Taliwang Chicken)

    Altough the original name of grilled chicken dish is Ayam Pelecingan Taliwang, it is more popularly known as ayam taliwang, in reference to a village in the District of Taliwang at the center of  West Sumbawa Regency. Pelecing itself refers to Lombok-style chili sauce that is very spicy with kicking flavors of shrimp paste poured on top of the chicken. The spiciness comes from the use of dried chilies and bird's eye chilies, whereas the savory taste is thanks to the candlenuts and coconut milk. When made with super-spicy spices, the dish would then be called ayam julat.

   The most suitable vegetable dish to go with ayam pelecingan is pelecing kangkung or beberuk terung. Both are as spicy as the chicken. To balance the heat, order fried tofu, fried tempe or salted duck eggs. It is worth mentioning that Lombok is, after all, one of the best producers of salted eggs in Indonesia. The main ingredient for this sought-after dish is supposedly young free-range chicken. But because there aren't enough supplies to meet such high demands, nowadays sellers turn to small, young broiler chicken, aged between 40-45 days old. The petite size perfectly fits a personal serving.  So, now let's make your own Ayam Pelecingan Taliwang!

Main Ingredients:

1. 1 young free-range chicken
2. 150 ml thick coconut milk

Spice Paste:

1. 3 dried chillies
2. 3 bird's eye chillies
3. 3 garlic cloves 
4. 2 candlenuts
5. Shrimp paste, salt to taste

How To Make:

1. Slit the chicken and removed the giblets. Season with lime juice and salt then clip it onto a bamboo holder.
2. In a food processor of using mortar and pestle, grind the spices to a smooth paste. Heat a little cooking oil in a skillet and sautee the spice paste until fragrant. Add coconut milk and bring to a boil. Removed and let it cool. Use as marinade.
3. In a separate skillet, fry thr chicken until it is half-cooked. Removed and drain. Let it cool.
4. Smear the marinade all over the fried chicken. Grill on charcoal, occasionally turning.
5. Bruise, not smash, the grilled chicken. Spread the remaining marinade over the chicken. Place on a serving plate.

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