Chicken Malay

Cafe Drake's recent lunch at Sunset Park's Nyonya put us in the mood for Malaysian; we dug up the recipe below from an old index card in our recipe box. Notes jotted in the margins were: "Add 1-2 T. cayenne pepper" and "Remove skin from chicken prior to cooking." We trust these suggestions still apply.

Ayam Masak Merah (Red-Cooked Chicken)

3 lb whole chicken, cut into 8-10 parts / 2 tbsp turmeric powder /1 tbsp salt /1 cup red onions, chopped /2 tbsp ginger, grated /4 cloves garlic, minced /1 can tomato puree /½- cup chili paste /3 tbsp hot chili sauce /1 cup tomato ketchup /2 tbsp dark sweet soy sauce /1 large onion, cut into rings /½ tbsp sugar and salt to taste /2 cups water /3-4 kaffir lime leaves (optional) /vegetable oil for pan frying

1. Smear chicken pieces with turmeric powder and salt and let it stand for about 40 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a wok to fry the chicken till light golden brown. Drain and keep aside.
3. Add red onions, ginger, garlic and chili paste and stir-fry. Add tomato puree, dark soy sauce, hot chili sauce and salt and sugar.
4. Add lime leaves (we skipped these) and 2 cups of water and let the sauce boil.
5. Reduce on low flame for about 10 minutes. Add fried chicken pieces and bring to a boil.
6. Simmer for about 30 minutes.
7. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve on a bed of hot steamed rice. (While not authentic, we used brown rice.)