Kelantan is located on the northeast of the Malay peninsula, in the border with Thailand. Its a large agricultural area, with a population consisting mostly of Kelantan Malays, who speak their own dialect and have a culture influenced by their northerly neighbor. Their cuisine has some distinctive touches, including the extensive use of coconuts and coconut milk.

For my quick sojourn into Kelantanese cuisine, I made:

Ayam Percik

Kelantanese Grilled Chicken Skewers

Ayam Percik means "splashed chicken" and consists of grilled chicken skewers basted in a coconut sauce. It's commonly sold at street markets, particularly during Ramadan. The dish has been popularized throughout the country, however, and many home versions now exist that have shifted from the original Kelantanese recipe. This include versions basted in a red, chili forward sauce which appeal to Malays love for spicy food. The Kelantanese version is milder and sweeter and still preferred by many - there are news reports of people flying to Kelantan during Ramadan so they can break the day's fast with aya percik.

While most of the recipes I found, including the one I used, are for bone-in chicken, the kind mostly used by home cooks, I decided to make chicken skewers instead - for one, boneless thighs were on sale that week. I did broil them rather than grill them, as we are having a rather cold spring this year and I haven't gotten my BBQ grill ready for summer yet. I think that the chicken would have been better with the smokey flavors of the grill, however.

As it was, I rather enjoyed it. I liked the subtle sweetness and coconut flavor - but despite marinating it for several hours, I didn't feel the flavor really permeated the chicken. Perhaps I should have flattened it before marinating it.

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Ayam Percik Ingredients 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs 6 dried red chilies 2 Tbsp tamarind paste 5 large shallots, peeled and quartered 5 garlic cloves, peeled and halved 3 red Thai peppers, trimmed and sliced with seeds removed, if desired. 1 lemongrass stalk, sliced 1 1/2" fresh ginger, peeled and sliced 2 tsp palm, brown or raw sugar, divided 1 tsp salt, divided 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 can coconut milk bamboo skewers, soaked for 15 minutes. Directions Pat dry chicken thighs. Trim of excess fat and cut in two. Trim dried chilies (and remove seeds if desired). Soak in 1/2 cup water for 15 minutes. Place tamarind paste in a small bowl and add 1/2 cup water. Soak for 5 minutes, then mix well. Place the shallots, garlic cloves, red peppers, lemongrass, 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Remove the dried chilies from the water and add them to the bowl. Strain diluted tamarind into the bowl. Blend until you get a smooth paste. Mix in turmeric. Reserve half of this sauce. Rub the other half over the chicken thighs and allow to marinade for at least one hour. Meanwhile, prepare the basting sauce by combining the reserved sauce, the coconut milk, 1 tsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt in a saute pan. Mix to combine and heat over medium heat until it's close to boiling, then lower heat to low and continue simmering until it thickens, about 20 minutes. Set aside. Preheat grill to medium-high or broiler. Thread marinated chicken into bamboo skewers. Place skewers on the grill or broiler and cook for 4 minutes. Baste the chicken skewers on both sides with half of the basting sauce, turn and cook for another 4 minutes. Repeat with the rest of rest of the baking sauce and cook for another 4 minutes or until done. Let chicken rest, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Adapted from Ian Lau's recipe at Kuali

Related cuisines I've explored so far: Ambonese, Balinese, Bruneian, Dayak, Indonesian, Jakartan, Javanese, Kalimantan, Lombokish

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