A few weeks back, we were at the Pasar Besar TTDI (TTDI Market) in Kuala Lumpur when we spotted this food truck cooking ayam goreng kunyit. The smell was so enticing! We knew that we needed to cook this at home.
Here’s our take on this classic Malay gerai dish. It’s really super simple and delicious! The chicken meat is marinated for at least one hour to infuse the best flavours.
Ayam goreng kunyit is best served with white rice, fried egg with a runny yolk, and kicap manis (sweetened soy sauce).
We served ours with our special and simple Sambal Ijo Belacan – which was prepared in under 10 minutes.
Our sambal (which is not spicy at all) really goes well with the chicken and egg, as it is mildly spicy with sweetness and fragrance from the belacan. Check out the recipe here.
Sambal ijo belacan 
KEY TIPS:
* Marinade the chicken for at least an hour to yield tender and flavourful meat. The cornstarch is key for crispy skin (ayam garing!)
* Some like to deep-fry the chicken and veggies together. In doing so, we often find the veggies to be undercooked (macam makan ulam pulak).
* Hence, we fry the chicken separately until it is crispy brown and set aside. We then reduce the oil and heat (important as we don’t want to overcook the veggies) and cook the veggies separately until tender before tossing it all together.
* This method also allows us to add garlic and shallots as aromatics. Hence, you’ll get perfect crispy chicken with soft, tender veggies, and added depth from the aromatics and curry leaves.
* The sambal might taste too salty at first, but it pairs really well with the chicken and rice. Feel free to adjust to your preference by tweaking the salt and sugar content.
Check out our Instagram post here for more videos and stories.
Marinade for 1 hour for best results 
10 minutes to cook the accompanying sambal ijo belacan (see our recipe here)
Ayam goreng kunyit (Turmeric fried chicken) Recipe
Course: Lunch, DinnerCuisine: MalayDifficulty: Easy6
servings30
minutes15
minutesHere’s our recipe of the classic Malay dish – ayam goreng kunyit, paired with our sambal ijo belacan (recipe here).
Ingredients
600g skinless chicken breast
200g long beans, cut into 1.5-inch length
1 medium carrot, julienned
1 medium onion, sliced thinly
a bunch of curry leaves, stems removed
4 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
2 shallots, sliced thinly
1/2 cup cooking oil
- Chicken marinade
1 tbsp turmeric powder
1 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
Directions
- Fry chicken
- Cut the chicken meat into bite-size cubes. Rub chicken with marinade ingredients and set aside for at least 30 minutes to marinade (1 hour for best results).
- Heat up 1/2 cup cooking oil in a wok/skillet over high heat. Oil should be enough to deep-fry the chicken. When the oil is hot enough (oil should bubble when chicken is added), reduce heat to medium and add chicken pieces. Ensure that the pieces do not stick to each other.
- Fry until chicken is golden brown and cooked thoroughly. Remove and place on a strainer to remove excess oil.
- Cook veggies
- With the same wok, reduce the amount of cooking oil until it is enough to stir-fry. Let the oil cool down first, then adjust heat to low-medium.
- Add the garlic and shallots, then fry until fragrant.
- Add carrots, onions and long beans. Fry until veggies have softened and become tender. Add the curry leaves.
- Finally, add the fried chicken back into the wok. Mix well.
- Remove and serve the dish with white rice, fried egg and sambal ijo belacan (recipe here).
