Ayam Bakar 烤鸡

North Bridge Rd.　にシンガポールの老舗のナシパダン屋がある。そこの名物がアヤムバカーを再現してみた。アヤムは鶏、バカーはBurnするという意味だ。この料理が興味深いのは鶏を一度スパイスとココナッツミルクと煮込み、その鶏を炭火又はオーブンで焼くところであ。煮込んだ鶏を香ばしく焼き上げるというのは手間がかかる。白いココナッツソースとのコントラストもいい感じだ。

I once had a good coconut gulai (curry) dish down at North Bridge Rd and the preparation to me was quite interesting.  Ayam Bakar -so the dish was called, literally translated as "burnt chicken," is a nasi padang dish where chicken thigh is braised in coconut milk and spices till tender and then the chicken is taken out from the sauce, burnt in the oven or burner or on the BBQ.  This is a very unique technique.  First of all, the sauce gets a nice flavor from the chicken juices and the chicken gets a nice distinct smokey flavor from burining on top of the BBQ.  In French cookery, you catch the chicken juices on a pan with mire poix (aka onion, carrots, celery) when you roast them in the oven,  and the drippings are made into gravy or sauces.  The malay technique is a great alternative, I think.