Indonesian roast spiced chicken with mango and tomato salad
Here the chicken is golden brown and coconutty, the salad is fresh. If you hate shrimp paste – and some people can’t abide it – use fish sauce instead. It isn’t authentic but it’s better than not making this dish at all (and it’s not a bad substitute).
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN
- 1.5 kg 3lb 5oz chicken, skin-on, spatchcocked
- 6 tbsp soy sauce
- juice of 2 limes plus lime wedges to serve
- 2 onions roughly chopped
- 8 garlic cloves chopped
- 4 tsp sambal olek
- ½ tsp dried shrimp paste
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 400 ml can of coconut milk
FOR THE SALAD
- 1 large green mango
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- juice of 2 limes
- 250 g 9oz sweet, firm-but-ripe cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 35 g 1¼oz fresh coconut, grated
- 1 red chilli halved, deseeded and finely sliced
- 1 green chilli halved, deseeded and finely sliced
- freshly ground black pepper
- small bunch of coriander very roughly chopped
Instructions
- Cut the chicken in half lengthways (removing the parson’s nose) and trim any excess skin to make it neat.
- Put the soy sauce, lime juice, onions, garlic, sambal olek, shrimp paste and pepper into a blender.
- Blend, adding just enough water to make a thick purée (you’ll have to stop every so often, stir and blitz again; the mixture should be as smooth as possible).
- Make incisions in the undersides of the chicken (don’t cut the skin) and put the pieces into a dish.
- Spread the purée all over it, on both sides, cover with cling film and marinate in the fridge for about four hours, turning the pieces halfway through.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5.
- Put the coconut milk into a large frying or sauté pan set over a medium heat.
- Add the chicken halves and cook – uncovered and skin side up – for 10 minutes.
- Don’t let the coconut milk boil.
- Baste with the juices and marinade as the chicken cooks.
- Turn the chicken over, reduce the heat and do the same thing on the other side.
- Transfer the chicken – skin side down – to a rack set in a roasting tin.
- Pour in enough water to lie 2cm (¾in) deep.
- Cook in the oven for 20 minutes, then turn the chicken and cook for another 20 minutes, skin side up.
- It will turn golden brown.
- Check the chicken is cooked: when you pierce the thickest part near the bone, the juices should run clear with no trace of pink.
- When the chicken is nearly finished cooking, make the salad.
- Peel the mango and cut off the cheeks (the plump bits on each side of the stone).
- Remove as much of the rest of the flesh as you can neatly, without bruising.
- Cut into 1cm (½in) cubes.
- Mix the fish sauce, sugar and lime juice until the sugar has dissolved.
- Put the mango and tomatoes into a serving dish and add all the other ingredients.
- Toss everything together.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
Serve the chicken with lime wedges, the salad and some rice.