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Ayam Prune Pedas - Braised Spicy Chicken with Prunes

Name: Ayam Prune Pedas - Braised Spicy Chicken with Prunes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 1 chicken, cut into 8 pieces (I use drumsticks); 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric; 4 tablespoon oil, divided; 2 star anise; 2 whole cloves; 8 cardamom pods, bruised; 1 inch cinnamon stick; 2 tablespoon curry powder; 1/2 cup water; 2 tablespoon oyster sauce; 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce; 2 tablespoon palm sugar, or to taste; 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste; 1/2 cup chopped prunes (about 10 prunes); 100 gram shallot; 4 cloves garlic; 2 inch ginger; 10-15 dried red chilies, soften in hot water

Last updated: May 9, 2022 — Published: Jun 25, 2015 — By: Anita — 7 comments

You will love this tender and flavorful Malaysian braised chicken dish. The chicken is first fried, then braised in 10+ spices and prunes, so every bite is an explosion in flavors.

Ayam Prune Pedas - Braised Spicy Chicken with Prunes.

Ayam Prune Pedas is a Malaysian braised chicken dish with prunes and plenty of spices. The 10+ spices in this recipe make this into a very flavorful dish. The braising turns the chicken super tender and juicy. You will need plenty of steamed white rice to serve with this dish.

I consider the number of chilies used in this dish to be low to moderate heat. If you love and can tolerate spicy dishes, feel free to double the number of chilies.

Ingredients for Ayam Prune Pedas

Chicken and marinate:

bone-in chicken
turmeric
salt

Spice paste:

shallot
garlic
ginger
dried red chilies

Prunes, spices, and seasonings:

prunes
star anise
cloves
cinnamon stick
cardamom pods
curry powder
salt
palm sugar

(1) Marinate chicken with salt and turmeric. (2) Fry chicken until the skin is golden brown. (3) Place shallot, garlic, ginger, and red chilies in a food processor. (4) Blend into a smooth paste.

How to prepare Ayam Prune Pedas

I. Marinate and fry chicken.

Marinate chicken with salt and turmeric for 15 minutes.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok over medium heat. Fry chicken for 8 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown. Set the chicken aside to drain over a strainer or wire rack.

II. Braise the chicken in sauce and prunes.

Puree shallot, garlic, ginger, and red chilies into a smooth paste.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok over medium heat. Fry chili paste, star anise, cloves, cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick for 3 minutes, or until fragrant.
Add curry powder and fry for another 2 minutes.
Add water, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, and palm sugar to the wok.
Once the sauce boils, return the fried chicken to the wok and mix well. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook with the lid on for 20 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked and has absorbed the sauce.
Add more salt and sugar as needed, then add chopped prunes to the wok and cook for 3 minutes.
Turn off the heat, transfer the dish to a serving plate, and serve immediately with steamed white rice.

(1) Fry spice paste, star anise, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon until fragrant. (2) Add curry powder. (3) Add water, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, salt, and palm sugar. Once it boils, add fried chicken. (4) Simmer until chicken has absorbed the sauce, then add chopped prunes.

Other soy sauce based chicken dish

The color of this dish mainly comes from soy sauce. If you love soy sauce-based dishes, you may want to try these recipes:

Other Malaysian chicken recipes

If you want to try other Malaysian chicken dishes instead, you may want to give these recipes a try: