Ayam buah keluak facts for kids
A plate of Ayam Buah Keluak
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| Course | Main course |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Malaysia/Singapore |
| Region or state | Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore |
| Created by | Peranakan, Kristang |
| Serving temperature | Room temperature |
| Main ingredients | meat, buah keluak, gula melaka |
Ayam Buah Keluak is a special traditional dish from the Peranakan people. The word Ayam means chicken, and Buah Keluak refers to a unique nut. This dish combines chicken, a tangy tamarind sauce, and the special buah keluak nuts. It is usually eaten with rice. This tasty dish was a favorite of Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first Prime Minister, and his son, Lee Hsien Loong.
Contents
What is Ayam Buah Keluak?
Ayam Buah Keluak is a very well-known Peranakan dish. You can find it in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. The keluak nuts and the tamarind sauce are the most important parts of this dish. It takes a lot of time to prepare because of these special ingredients.
How is it Made?
The spicy sauce for this dish uses many different spices. These include candlenuts, turmeric, chilli, galangal, and belacan (a type of shrimp paste). First, these spices are fried until they smell wonderful. Then, lemongrass and the soft inside part of the keluak nut are added.
Part of this mixture is then mixed with chicken. This chicken mixture is carefully put back inside the keluak nuts. The rest of the mixture is made into a thick sauce. This sauce uses chicken soup and tamarind juice.
How to Eat It
This dish is usually served with rice. People enjoy eating the chicken and the rich sauce. They also scoop out the tasty mixture from inside the keluak nuts.
History of the Dish
Most Peranakan dishes were influenced by Hokkien (Chinese) and Malay cooking styles. However, Ayam Buah Keluak was more influenced by Indonesian cooking. This is because the keluak nut originally comes from the mangrove swamps of Indonesia.
The keluak nut was brought to Malacca from Java and Sumatra. This happened when Malacca was a very important trading port in the 15th century.
Different Ways to Cook It
Peranakan and Eurasian communities cook Ayam Buah Keluak in slightly different ways.
- Peranakan Style: Peranakans usually take out the soft inside of the nut. They mix it with chicken and then put it back into the nut. Then, they cook these filled nuts in a curry sauce.
- Eurasian Style: Eurasians often cook the dish in curry without taking out the nut's inside first.
Sometimes, pork can be used instead of chicken in this dish. Ayam Buah Keluak is very important to Peranakan people. They sometimes use it as a special offering to honor their ancestors. In Eurasian culture, this dish is seen as a special and luxurious meal.
