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Ayam Bekakak - Javanese Grilled Chicken

Name: Ayam Bekakak - Javanese Grilled Chicken
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoon oil; 1 kilogram chicken (I use all drumsticks); 2 cups chicken stock; 4 tablespoon sweet soy sauce (Indonesian: kecap manis); 100 gram shallot (Indonesian: bawang merah); 50 gram garlic (Indonesian: bawang putih); 1 lemongrass, white part only (Indonesian: sereh); 5 kaffir lime leaves (Indonesian: daun jeruk); 1 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon ground coriander (Indonesian: bubuk ketumbar); 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (Indonesian: bubuk jinten); 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (Indonesian: bubuk pala); 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper (Indonesian: bubuk merica); 5 bird eye chilies (Indonesian: cabe rawit), thinly sliced; 1 tomato, diced; 25 gram shallot, diced; 1-2 limes, juiced; 4 tablespoon sweet soy sauce (Indonesian: kecap manis)

Last updated: Jan 4, 2016 — Published: Jan 4, 2016 — By: Anita — 1 comment

Ayam bekakak is Javanese grilled chicken served in festive occasions like weddings and sunatan (circumcision). This is one of the many ayam panggang (grilled chicken) recipe scattered across the country. The main characteristic of a Javanese dish is its tendency to be sweet, so it is not a surprise that this grilled chicken, with its copious amount of kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) in both its marinating sauce and its accompanying chili relish, ends up on a rather sweet side.

Presentation wise, the chicken is usually butterflied whole, especially when served for special occasions. But, for daily meals, I prefer to use drumsticks, or other parts of chicken that are already cut up into pieces so they are easier to serve :)