Opor Ayam (Indonesian Chicken Curry)

And now, Part 2 of our Balinese cooking class: a creamy and rich curry chicken that the Hubs has been bugging me to replicate back home.

Ingredients (feeds 1):
250 grams boneless chicken thigh (about 2 thighs), sliced into bite-sized pieces
6 tbsp rempah (recipe below)
400 ml chicken stock
2 stems of baby corn, sliced diagonally
100 grams potatoes, diced into 1" cubes and pre-fried in oil
3 pieces of green baby eggplant, quartered
10 grams galangal, sliced and bruised at the root
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 stalk lemongrass, bruised at the root and sliced into 2" lengths
2 pieces salam leaves (they're the Indonesian version of bay leaves)
2 pieces kaffir lime leaves
100 ml coconut cream
salt to taste
1 tbsp canola oil
1 lime wedge for garnish
Additional slices of red chilli for garnish
Fried shallots for garnish
Additional coconut milk for garnish

Rempah (pound all into a yellow paste):
200 gram shallots, sliced
60 grams garlic, sliced
20 grams fresh tumeric, sliced
10 grams galangal, sliced
10 grams ginger, sliced
1 tbsp coriander seeds, or powder


Directions:
1) Fry chicken in oil and with galangal till no longer pink, about 3 minutes on medium-high heat.

2) Add rempah, and toast it for 2 minutes.

3) Add kaffir lime leaves and salam leaves, and toss it around for 1 minute.

4) Add oyster sauce and stir through.

5) Add coconut milk, stirring through.

6) Add chicken stock, stirring through.

7) Add baby brinjal, baby corn and long beans. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes.

8) Add fried potatoes in the last 2 minutes to heat through just before serving.

9) Garnish with a drizzle of coconut milk, a lime wedge, fried shallots and sliced chilli before serving.