Semur Ayam
Semur Ayam, is the chicken version of this popular stew, although Semur can be made of many other types of meat.
Semur is a stew made of local Indonesian spices and a sweet soy sauce called kecap manis, made with caramelized palm sugar. The word "Semur", comes from the word smoor in Dutch, which translates to "Smother", but is used as a synonym for Stewing or smoren. Although it is likely that stewing food was popular in Indonesia before the Dutch occupation, Semur is probably a byproduct of over 300 years of their influence in Indonesian culture.
Ingredients
- 500 gr chicken, bones are optional
- 6 medium potatoes in wedges
- 10 grated candlenuts (kemiri nuts)
- 4 to 6 shallots
- 1 thumb galangal
- 1 thumb of ginger
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 lemongrass stem bruised and knotted
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1/2 cup sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 liter of water
- Salt to taste
Optionally served with:
- 1 cup white rice
- Fried minced shallots (bawang goreng) for garnish.
Preparation
First and foremost chop the shallots into quarters and add them into the food processor with the peeled ginger, the galangal, candlenuts and the garlic. Blend them together into a chunky paste.
With your knife split the lemongrass in two and use a hammer to bruise it by hammering up and down the split stems. Then tie it into a square knot and put it aside for later.
Sauté the potatoes wedges in your stew pot with one of the tablespoons of oil, stirring every now until brown on all sides, then remove them from the pot.
Cut the chicken into one or two inch cubes and add the second tablespoon of oil to repeat the process. When they are sealed remove them too.
Now, add the third spoonful with the shallot and ginger paste you made earlier. Stir it occasionally and wait for it to change to a darker color.
Finally, add the water, the bay leaf, nutmeg, white pepper and the sweet soy sauce. Then add the chicken and the potato wedges, stir well and taste. Adjust your stew with regular soy sauce or water until it has a warm sweet and salty flavor. Now cover it with a heavy lid and set your timer for 40 minutes.
Meanwhile you can prepare a cup of reamed white rice to be served as a side dish.
When the time is up, serve it in large bowls and garnish it with the fried shallots. This stew will feed 4 strew lovers.