Zal’s Ayam Masak Kicap
This gingery North Malaysian dish is Zal’s childhood favourite because it brought her family together.
Every week we’ll share a recipe that you won’t find anywhere else because these are heirlooms from a generation to another. They’re stories of people bridging “here” and “home” through the food they inherited.
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Zal says she’s a “very mixed Malay”.
That’s because her mom is Malay, her father Chinese, and her Grandfather British. She was born in Penang, then moved to Kuala Lampur, and to Wales where she now is.
Zal talks about food in Malaysia in the same ways as Christiane spoke about food in Martinique—that it’s everywhere. And you can get it 24 hours a day. Even at 2 am or 3 am. Malaysian mornings begin with thinking and planning for the breakfast. “Then we think about lunch, then snack, then supper.”
Zal inherited cooking by virtue of being the eldest among 10 siblings (4 brothers, and 6 sisters). She couldn’t let her mom do everything needed. So at a really early age, she started to help. Before school, she'd get up and help with breakfast; Nasi Lemak, fried rice, noodles or porridge.
A desire to help soon became a desire to learn. She sneaked into the kitchen and learnt by watching her mom cook beef curry, biryani, and other gorgeous Malaysian dishes. Zal’s mom didn't use any measurements; just intuition. “Just chuck it in, it will come out nice and delicious”, she’d say.
Some intuition hers was. Everyone in the neighbourhood knew what an excellent cook Zal’s mum was. Neighbours ordered from her. Even people in the nearby factory would ring and order food. Sometimes she even cooked for people's weddings.
Her friends are amazed by the myriad of things she can do with fish, beef, chicken, eggs, prawns. But that’s not magic for Zal. That’s just Malaysian cuisine. Which is why she wants to share it with the world.
This recipe is a legacy; from Zal’s granny to her mum to Zal to you. It’s a family favourite because a) it is flavorful without being too hot, and b) it was a successful way to get kids to eat their veggies.
The Recipe (takes 45 mins, serves 3)
1-inch ginger
2 chicken legs or 3 pieces of chicken breast (replace with tofu or extra carrots and potatoes for vegetarians)
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 medium carrot
4 medium potatoes
1/2 cups peas
1 onion (red or white)
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tbsp oil
Steps:
Chop the onion, and peal out peas.
Clean and cut chicken into 6 or 8 pieces.
Boil the chicken with finely cut ginger, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of tomato ketchup, and 1 cup of water for about 20 minutes.
Once your chicken is soft, drain and keep the broth to the side.
Peel, and then chop the potatoes and carrots into circles (or, well, whichever shape you like), not too thin and not too thick, and boil in a separate pan.
Add 2tbsp of oil to a pan and cook your chicken for 4-5 minutes.
When it’s soft, add potatoes and carrots to the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Then add the chopped onions and peas, along with the remaining sauce from the chicken.
Once brown, eat and enjoy! Show us how it comes out @joindiaspo