Viscous Tamarind Coconut Curry Chicken

Ingredients:

500 g chicken, cut to bite sizes

10 shallots/ 3 onions, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 stalk lemongrass, chopped (white part only)
1 knob (2 inches) ginger, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp chili paste

1/4 tbsp toast belacan (toasted dried shrimp paste)
1 ½ cup thick tamarind squeeze (2 tbsp tamarind paste in 1 ½ cup water)
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp brown sugar
1 ½ tbsp sugar or to taste
2 tsp salt or to taste

4 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

Blend together onion, garlic, lemongrass, ginger and chili paste to smooth paste; set aside.

Heat oil in wok or pot over medium high heat, saute the blended paste till fragrant (about 3 minutes).

Add-in belacan, and stir for another 1 minute.

Pour-in tamarind juice and bring to boil.

Add-in chicken, sugars and salt, cook covered till chicken is half cooked

Pour-in coconut milk, continue simmering till the gravy is half thicken and chicken cooked thoroughly.

Remove chicken from gravy, stir to further thicken the remaining gravy.

Bath chicken with thick gravy and bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C for short while or till chicken just roasted slightly with gravy.

Remove from oven and serve hot with steamed rice.