Ayam taliwang

Ayam taliwang

This is truly everything you could hope for in grilled chicken. The skin is charred, contrasting with succulent meat inside. There is a fiery smack of charred chilli and a deep, smoky savouriness from the garlic. Putu, a chef in Lombok, shared his mother’s recipe with me, which I’ve adapted to cook at home.

SERVES 4 PREP 15 mins plus resting COOK 1 hr EASY

1.5kg whole chicken

3 tbsp vegetable oil, plus a drizzle 10 garlic cloves, peeled

5 large red chillies, halved and deseeded

2 dried red chillies

2 red bird’s-eye chillies, stems removed

2cm galangal (optional, available from some supermarkets and online) 6 candlenuts or 10 blanched almonds

1 tsp shrimp paste

3 fresh lime leaves

3 curry leaves (optional)

2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp coconut milk (freeze the rest for another recipe)

1 lime, juiced, plus extra to serve

Lay the chicken on a large board, breast-side down. Use kitchen scissors to remove the backbone by cutting down either side of it. Flip the bird and press firmly on the breast to flatten. Season and rub with a little oil. Set aside to come to room temperature while you make the sauce.

Heat half the oil in a frying pan and add the whole garlic cloves, chillies, galangal, nuts and shrimp paste. Cook until the garlic is slightly browned and everything is aromatic. Leaving the oil in the pan, transfer to a blender and add a pinch of salt and 250ml water. Blitz until smooth.

Return to the pan with the residual oil and add the lime and curry leaves, if using. Cook over a medium heat, stirring, to thicken. Turn down the heat and add the oyster and soy sauces and coconut milk. Simmer for a few mins, then turn off the heat. Scrape threequarters into a bowl, stir in the lime juice and season. Add the rest of the oil to the pan to make a marinade. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Heat an ovenproof griddle pan or large pan (cast iron is ideal), and when sizzling hot, lay in the chicken, breast-side down. Use a spatula to press the skin into the pan, letting it turn golden, blister and crisp – about 4 mins. Paint the underside of the chicken with the oily marinade, then flip and paint the rest on top. Transfer to the oven to cook, or transfer to a roasting tin if your pan is not ovenproof. Check after 45 mins-1 hr. When cooked through, the juices will be clear – if you have a meat thermometer, it should reach 75C. Leave the chicken to rest for 15 mins before serving with the sauce and an extra squeeze of lime.

PER SERVING 534 kcals • fat 35g • saturates 9g • carbs 5g • sugars 2g • fibre 1g • protein 49g • salt 2.4g

This is truly everything you could hope for in grilled chicken. The skin is charred, contrasting with succulent meat inside