Prep Time

　　20 minutes

　　Active Time

　　1 hour, 5 minutes

　　Total Time

　　1 hour, 25 minutes

　　Rendang is a slow-cooked dish that requires hours of stovetop nursing. It was only when I bought an Instant Pot that I even entertained the idea of making it myself. And when I did, I decided to make a chicken version—rendang ayam—rather than the usual beef rendang. I prefer using chicken thighs because they don’t dry out as easily, but use chicken breasts if you prefer them. You can also use bone-in chicken parts for this dish; you’ll need to increase the cook time to 15 minutes.

　　

Ingredients

4 to 6 servings

　　

Spice paste:

2 cups roughly chopped shallots or red onion (6 ounces/180 g)

　　5 medium garlic cloves, peeled

　　1-inch (2.5-cm) knob fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

　　1-inch (2.5-cm) piece fresh galangal, peeled and chopped

　　1 plump lemongrass stalk, prepped and chopped into rings

　　3 fresh long red chiles trimmed, seeded if desired, and chopped

　　3 Tbsp. ground red chili (see Cooks' Note)

　　1 tsp. ground turmeric

　　2 tsp. fine sea salt

　　

Rendang:

1½ to 2 pounds (675 to 900 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts

　　1 (13½-ounce/400-ml) can coconut milk (unshaken)

　　1-inch (2.5-cm) piece galangal, peeled and sliced into 3 or 4 coins

　　1 plump lemongrass stalk, prepped, chopped into 3 sections

　　5 makrut lime leaves, torn in half and crumpled to release essential oils, or zest from 1 large lime

　　1 Tbsp. coconut sugar or 2 tsp. brown sugar

　　⅓ cup (35 g) finely shredded unsweetened coconut (optional)

　　

Step 1

Make the spice paste. Blitz the shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, turmeric, fresh chiles, chili powder and salt in a food processor until a coarse paste forms. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to loosen the paste as needed.

　　

Step 2

Select SAUTÉ and set to MEDIUM/NORMAL. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. When the pot is hot, add the spice paste, stir and cook until it turns a few shades darker, and the oil separates from the paste forming two distinct layers, 3 to 4 minutes. If the paste starts to burn at any time, adjust to LOW/LESS. Press CANCEL.

　　

Step 3

Scoop the thick cream from the top of the coconut milk into a bowl. Pour ¾ cup of the thin coconut milk into the pot. Add the galangal, lemongrass, lime leaves and coconut sugar. Mix well, scraping the bottom of the pot to remove any cooked-on bits and avoid the BURN warning.

　　

Step 4

Coat both sides of the chicken with sauce. Nestle the chicken into the sauce, preferably in one layer.

　　

Step 5

Lock the lid. Select PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL and set to HIGH for 10 minutes. Make sure the steam release valve is sealed. Once pressurized (10 to 12 minutes), the cook cycle will start.

　　

Step 6

While the chicken is cooking, toast the shredded coconut in a dry skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat until it turns light brown and aromatic, about 3 minutes. (This can be done ahead and refrigerated or frozen.)

　　

Step 7

When the timer beeps, let the pressure release naturally (20 to 30 minutes). When the float valve drops, press CANCEL and open the lid.

　　

Step 8

Carefully remove the chicken to a plate. Cut it up into smaller pieces if you like, but don’t shred it. Tent with foil to keep warm.

　　

Step 9

Select SAUTÉ and set to MEDIUM/NORMAL. Add the remaining coconut cream and milk and ¾ of the toasted coconut and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. If you’d like a drier rendang, simmer the sauce until reduced by about one-third, 10 to 15 minutes. Note that the sauce will thicken as it cools. Remove the herbs.

　　

Step 10

Add the chicken back to the sauce and adjust to LOW/LESS to heat the chicken through.

　　

Step 11

Garnish with the remaining shredded coconut and serve with steamed rice and a vegetable side dish. Or let it sit in the refrigerator overnight—rendang always tastes better the next day!

　　Cooks' Note

　　For the ground chili, I use a mix of 1½ tsp. cayenne (spicy), 1 Tbsp. ancho (medium spicy), and 1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. paprika (not spicy).

　　From Instant Pot Asian Pressure Cooker Meals: Fast, Fresh & Affordable © 2020 by Patricia Tanumihardja. Reprinted with permission by Tuttle Publishing. Buy the full book from Tuttle, Amazon, or Bookshop.