| CATEGORY |
CUISINE |
TAG |
YIELD |
| Meats, Grains, Dairy, Vegetables |
Malay |
Poultry |
3 |
Servings |
INGREDIENTS
|
|
Stephen Ceideburg |
| 6 |
|
Cornish game hens |
| 10 |
|
Kaffir lime leaves, or fresh |
|
|
lime leaves |
| 6 |
|
Candlenuts, soaked in water |
|
|
for 10 minutes or |
|
|
substitute skinless |
|
|
almonds |
| 5 |
|
Stalks fresh lemon grass |
|
|
trimmed sliced |
| 10 |
|
Shallots, peeled and halved |
|
|
or 2 onions |
| 10 |
|
Garlic cloves, peeled |
|
|
halved |
| 8 |
|
Red jalapeno chiles |
|
|
stemmedseeded |
| 1 |
t |
Turmeric |
| 13 1/2 |
oz |
Coconut milk |
| 3 |
T |
Sugar |
| 1 |
T |
Salt |
| 1/3 |
c |
Vegetable oil |
| 1 |
|
Lime, cut into wedges |
| 3 |
|
cups)., cups. |
INSTRUCTIONS
Traditionally, chicken is used for this dish, but Chris Yeo,
chef-owner of the Straits Cafe, and I experimented with Cornish game
hens and came up with this winning combination. Cut hens in half,
lengthwise. Pierce birds all over with a fork; set aside in a large
deep bowl. The rempah: Fold the lime leaves in half, then tear off the
central vein. Cut the leaves into very fine shreds; set aside.
Combine the candlenuts, lemon grass, shallots, garlic, chiles and
turmeric in a blender or food processor; process into a smooth paste.
If needed, add a tablespoon or so of water to facilitate the blending.
Pour the spice paste into a large bowl. Before opening, shake the can
of coconut milk well. Then stir the coconut milk into the spice paste
along with the sugar, salt and lime leaf shreds; mix thoroughly.
(Makes about Pour 1 1/2 cups of the rempah over the birds; marinate at
least 30 minutes. Reserve remaining marinade. Preheat oven to 450
degrees F. Remove hens from marinade and scrape off excess marinade.
Place hens skin-side up on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let birds remain in oven for 5 minutes longer.
Remove from the oven. Meanwhile, set a wok over medium heat. Add the
oil and the reserved rempah. Gently fry the paste, stirring
frequently, until it emulsifies with the oil. Continue frying until
fragrant and the mixture takes on a rich orange color and a
porridge-like consistency, about 8 minutes. The rempah is ready when
the oil seeps from mixture and has an orange hue. (Spoon off and
discard excess oil.) Keep sauce warm. Grill birds over glowing red
coals until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Pour the sauce
over the hens and serve with a squeeze of fresh lime. PER SERVING: 795
calories, 84 g protein, 14 g carbohydrate, 44 g fat (16 g saturated),
253 mg cholesterol, 965 mg sodium, 1 g fiber. Tips--Joyce says that
the 1/3 cup vegetable oil is necessary to get the right result so
don't skimp. To make the rempah, add the hardest ingredients to the
food processor or blender first and then the rest in order of
softness. A smooth paste is what you should end up with. She also
mentions that just prior to frying the rempah, you can fry up some
fresh chili paste to give the dish some zing. I'd us sambal oelek for
this or the Vietnamese tuong ot toi. No candlenuts? Use macadamias
instead. Joyce Jue writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, 6/24/92.
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini
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