Gretchen’s notes:
One thing that amazes me about so many of the incredible cooks we know around the world is how they shrug off their traditional or familiar recipes as being simple or uninteresting. The truth from an outside perspective is that they balance flavors with a deftness and skill that it’s rare to find even in professional chefs! And this ayam sayur, or Indonesian stir-fry with chicken and vegetables, is no exception.
The ingredients list may look intimidatingly long (definitely not simple, right?!). But luckily, most of these ingredients are either things you probably have in your pantry already, or things you should add to your pantry so you can use them again and again.
Ingredient Preparation
As with many Southeast Asian recipes (or recipes in general, for that matter), you’ll find the process easier and less stressful if you prepare all of your ingredients in advance. The first steps of this recipe are all about preparation, so that you’ll have everything ready to go when it’s time to add it.
If you’re confident in the kitchen and don’t want to get your mise en place done in advance, you don’t absolutely need to. There’s definitely time and space in this recipe to do some slicing as you cook. But unless you’re good at multitasking and have a good grasp on the flow of the recipe and which ingredients you’ll need next, I really recommend getting the prep all done at the beginning.
Interestingly, Ayu uses the upper green portion of the leek leaves in this recipe, rather than the familiar-to-me lower white and pale green sections. Use the more tender inner leaves for this rather than the tougher outer leaves. Alternatively, substitute green onions or spring onions.
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
Vegetables and greens:
- 1 carrot
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 6 standard green beans (or 3 long green beans)
- 3 large mustard green leaves (or use collard greens)
- 2 large green leek leaves (or use green onions)
- 1 medium tomato
- 3 shallots
- 1 large red chili
- 3 small chilis (birdseye chilis)
- 5 garlic cloves
Seasonings:
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
To serve:
- freshly prepared rice
- lime
- tomato
- chili
Instructions:
Prepare the ingredients. Cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Thinly slice the carrot. Peel and slice the yellow onion. Cut the green beans into 1” pieces. Cut the mustard green leaves (or collard greens) into 1” slices, discarding the bottom part of the stem. Cut the leek leaves (or green onions) into 1/2” slices. Cut the tomato into thin wedges.
Peel and thinly slice the shallots, then divide in half (you’ll use them twice). Remove the seeds and core from the chili, then cut into thin slices. Thinly slice the small chilis. Crush or mince the garlic cloves.
OPTIONAL: make fried crispy shallots (you can buy these instead if you prefer). Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the sliced shallots and fry, stirring frequently, until golden crispy. This should take just a couple minutes. Remove from the oil and set aside.
Cook the chicken. Return the pan to the heat and add the minced garlic. (If you bought crispy fried shallots instead of making them, heat the pan with the oil in it before adding the garlic.) Fry, stirring constantly, for about 10 seconds, then add the remaining sliced raw shallots. Cook for about 30 seconds, then add the chicken breast pieces. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes.
Add the first seasonings. Add a couple tablespoons of water to the cooked chicken in the pan, then add the salt, chicken bouillon powder, and black pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds, then add the sweet soy sauce and stir. Add the sliced chili and sliced yellow onion, then cook for a couple minutes until the onions begin to get tender.
Add most of the remaining vegetables. Add the tomato, carrots, and green beans to the pan along with a couple tablespoons of water. Cook, stirring, for about a minute, then stir in the oyster sauce and sugar. Continue to cook for another minute, then stir in the fish sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
Make and add a cornstarch slurry. In a separate cup, mix the cornstarch with just enough water to make a thin paste. Stir it into the pan with the chicken and vegetables, and continue cooking.
Add and cook the greens. Add the sliced mustard greens and leeks to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until the greens shrink dramatically.
Serve! Top the rice with crispy fried shallots, and serve along with the chicken and vegetables.
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