This fragrant, sweet-smelling Malaysian version of braised chicken is complex and delicious. The vaguely red color (it’s actually brown) comes from the chiles and tamarind. But if you don’t have tamarind, or you want a truly red sauce, substitute tomato paste for the tamarind paste; it’s a nice change of pace and actually makes the dish more attractive. Serve this with Nasi Lemak (page 515) or another rice dish.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　2 small fresh or dried red chiles, preferably Thai

　　3 tablespoons corn, grapeseed, or other neutral oil

　　1 chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, cut into serving pieces, or 2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken parts, trimmed of excess fat

　　2 garlic cloves, minced

　　One 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced

　　1 small onion, diced

　　1 cinnamon stick

　　2 whole star anise

　　1 teaspoon whole cloves

　　1 tablespoon tamarind paste (page 585)

　　1 cup coconut milk, homemade (page 584) or canned

　　

Step 1

If you have fresh chiles, stem, seed, and mince them; if dried, soak in warm water for a few minutes until softened, then remove the stems and seeds and mince them. Put the oil in a deep skillet or flameproof casserole, preferably nonstick, with a lid. Place it over medium-high heat and wait a minute or so, until the oil is hot. Add the chicken, skin side down, and brown it well, rotating and turning the pieces as necessary, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the chicken and drain all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet.

　　

Step 2

Turn the heat to medium and add the chiles, garlic, ginger, and onion to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 3 minutes. Add the cinnamon stick, star anise, and cloves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

　　

Step 3

Stir in the tamarind paste and coconut milk until the paste dissolves, then return the chicken to the skillet. Add 1 cup water, bring the mixture to a boil, turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is done. Serve immediately, with white rice.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.