Ayam Rica-Rica (Manado Spicy Chicken)
Chicken cooked in a fiery fresh chilli, shallot, ginger and lemongrass paste with lemon basil. A hot, fragrant dish from Manado in North Sulawesi.
Ingredients
Pantry bits
- 1kg chicken thigh cutlets or drumsticks, cut into pieces
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tsp salt
- 10 long red chillies, roughly chopped
- 10 red bird's eye chillies (use fewer for less heat)
- 8 shallots
- 5 garlic cloves
- 4cm piece ginger
- 3 candlenuts (kemiri)
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
- 4 kaffir lime leaves
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 tsp sugar
- 250ml water
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- 1 cup lemon basil (kemangi) or Thai basil leaves
- Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
Instructions
- Rub the chicken with the lime juice and half the salt and set aside for 15 minutes.
- Blend the long chillies, bird's eye chillies, shallots, garlic, ginger and candlenuts into a coarse paste with a splash of water.
- Heat the oil in a wok or wide pan over medium heat. Fry the paste with the lemongrass and lime leaves for 5-6 minutes, stirring often, until it darkens slightly, smells fragrant and the oil starts to separate.
- Add the chicken and stir for 3-4 minutes to coat it well and seal the outside.
- Add the tomato, sugar, remaining salt and the water. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring now and then.
- Uncover and cook for another 5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced to a thick, oily paste clinging to the chicken. Taste and adjust the salt.
- Turn off the heat and stir through the spring onion and basil. Serve with steamed jasmine rice.
About this dish
Ayam rica-rica comes from Manado in North Sulawesi, where the cooking is known as the hottest in Indonesia. Rica means chilli in the Manado dialect, and this dish uses a lot of it: fresh red chillies blended with shallot, garlic, ginger and candlenut, then fried with lemongrass and lime leaves until rich and fragrant.
The finish of lemon basil makes it bright and aromatic rather than just hot. If you like ayam cabe ijo or ayam sambal matah, this is the next one to try. Serve it with rice and something cooling like gado gado or stir-fried green beans.
Tips for the best result
- Fry the paste until the oil separates. Under-cooked chilli paste tastes raw and harsh.
- Use bone-in chicken. It stays juicy and gives the sauce more body.
- Add the basil off the heat so it keeps its fresh, lemony smell.
Substitutions
- Heat: for a milder version use only the long red chillies and deseed half of them.
- Lemon basil: Thai basil plus a little extra lime juice is a good swap.
- Protein: rica-rica paste is also used with fish, prawns, pork and tofu.
Storage
Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. The flavour gets better overnight. Freeze for up to 2 months; add fresh basil when reheating.
Ayam rica-rica FAQs
How spicy is ayam rica-rica?
Very spicy in Manado. You control the heat with the number of bird's eye chillies, so start with a few and add more next time.
What does rica-rica mean?
Rica is the Manado word for chilli, and repeating it means lots of chilli.
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