Ayam goreng facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ayam goreng

Ayam goreng Kalasan, served with kremes crispy granules
Course	Main course
Associated national cuisine	Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Chicken, turmeric, garlic, shallots and other spices deep fried in coconut oil

Ayam goreng is a super yummy dish from Indonesia and Malaysia. It's basically chicken that's been deep fried in hot oil. The name Ayam goreng actually means "fried chicken" in languages like Malay and Indonesian. It's a very popular meal in these countries!

Making Ayam Goreng: Spices and Cooking

Frying ayam goreng until it's golden and crispy.

What makes ayam goreng special is how it's prepared. The chicken pieces are not usually covered in a thick batter or flour. Instead, they are soaked in a mix of amazing spices. This helps the chicken soak up all the delicious flavors.

The spice mix can be a bit different depending on where you are. But it often includes things like ground shallots, garlic, Indian bay leaves, turmeric (which gives it a yellowish color), lemongrass, tamarind juice, candlenuts, galangal, salt, and sugar. The chicken sits in this spice mix for a while. Sometimes, it's even heated gently with the spices to help the flavors really get into the meat. This step is called ungkep in Javanese, and it means the chicken is half-cooked before it's even fried!

After soaking up all those spices, the chicken is then deep fried in lots of hot cooking oil. This could be palm oil or coconut oil. The chicken fries until it's beautifully golden yellow and super crispy. Some kinds of ayam goreng, like Javanese ayam goreng kremes, have extra crispy bits made from fried spiced flour. Other recipes might use fried grated galangal or coconut, called serundeng, for those tasty crunchy pieces.

Ayam goreng is usually served with warm steamed rice. People often eat it with a dipping sauce like sambal terasi (a chili sauce with shrimp paste) or sambal kecap (sliced chili and shallots in sweet soy sauce). You might also find fresh slices of cucumber and tomato on the side. Sometimes, fried tempeh and tofu are added too!

Different Kinds of Ayam Goreng

Nasi bungkus Padang with Padang style ayam goreng.

There are many different ways to make ayam goreng, and each one has its own special touch! Here are a few popular ones:

• Ayam goreng lengkuas: This is fried chicken made with lots of galangal. It's also known as hayam goreng Bandung from the Sundanese area.
• Ayam goreng Padang: This style comes from Padang. There are a few types, but the most famous one is similar to the galangal fried chicken.
• Ayam pop: This is a unique Padang style. The chicken is fried without its skin and looks pale. It's served with a special sambal.
• Ayam goreng balado: Here, the fried chicken pieces are covered in a spicy balado chili paste. It's a popular style from the Minang people.
• Ayam goreng lado ijo: This is a version of ayam goreng balado that uses green chili peppers for its spicy kick.
• Ayam goreng Jakarta: This is the style of fried chicken you'd find in Jakarta.
• Ayam goreng Kalasan: This comes from Kalasan village in Yogyakarta, a Javanese area.
• Ayam goreng kremes: This Javanese fried chicken is famous for its crispy kremes granules.
• Ayam goreng serundeng: Another Javanese style, this one comes with serundeng, which is grated coconut that's been fried until crispy.
• Pecel ayam: This is an East Javanese ayam goreng that's served with sambal.
• Ayam geprek: From Yogyakarta, this is crispy, battered ayam goreng that's crushed and mixed with a super hot and spicy sambal.
• Ayam penyet: Penyet means "squeezed" in Javanese. The fried chicken is served in a special bowl with sambal and then gently squeezed with a pestle to mix it with the sauce.
• Ayam goreng berempah: This is a Malay fried chicken that's fried until it's golden and has crunchy flour bits.
• Ayam goreng kunyit: This Malay dish features cubed chicken pieces fried with a turmeric coating.

Sometimes, even other kinds of fried chicken from different countries are called ayam goreng in Indonesia and Malaysia. For example, regular Southern United States fried chicken might be called ayam goreng tepung, meaning "flour-battered fried chicken." Even McDonald's fried chicken is called "Ayam Goreng McD" in Malaysia!

Images for kids

• Ayam goreng variants
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  Ayam bumbu, a Minang fried chicken in Aie Badarun restaurant, Tanah Datar.

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  Ayam goreng lado ijo, Minang fried chicken with green pepper

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  Ayam goreng Jawa, Javanese fried chicken

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  Ayam goreng served with rice and sambal

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  Ayam goreng Kalasan