Brunei

The dish

Nasi katok is a Bruneian comfort food of steamed white rice with fried chicken and a spicy sambal. I found out the name refers to the traditional practice of buying the meal from a vendor who would “knock” (katok) on your door. I made coconut rice to go with mine.

What we thought

I am a sucker for fried chicken, and this was a good one. Fried chicken, especially spicy fried chicken, is almost an automatic 5/5 for me as long as it’s crisp, seasoned, and not greasy. Overall, it received a 4.2. Two of us loved it (5/5), while two turned out not to like dark meat or thought it was too spicy.

Ingredients and directions

Fried Chicken

Ingredients

• 4–5 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks

Dry Brine

• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp black pepper

Egg Wash

• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp water

Coating

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

1. The night before: Pat the chicken thoroughly dry with paper towels. Rub the chicken with the dry-brine mixture. You can make a few shallow cuts into the meat to help the seasoning penetrate. Place the chicken on a rack or plate uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. This both seasons the meat and dries the surface for a crispier crust.
2. When ready to cook, whisk the eggs with 2 tbsp water. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
3. Dip each piece of chicken into the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off, then press the egg-coated chicken firmly into the flour mixture. Make sure the chicken is well-coated in flour.
4. Heat oil in a pan until it reaches about 325F. Use enough oil that the chicken will be covered when placed in the pan. Fry until cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to paper towels to drain the grease and let it rest for 5–10 minutes.
5. Increase the oil temperature to 375°F. Fry the chicken again for about 2 minutes, turning once, until the chicken coating is golden and extremely crisp. Place the chicken on paper towels until ready to eat.

Sambal

Ingredients

• 12 dried árbol chiles
• 3 dried guajillo chiles
• 3 medium shallots, roughly chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 stalk lemongrass, tough outer layers removed and finely chopped
• 1½ tbsp anchovy paste
• 1½ tbsp brown sugar
• 5 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2–4 tbsp water, as needed
• Salt, to taste

Directions

1. Place the dried árbol and guajillo chiles in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them soak for 15–20 minutes, until completely softened. Drain well, remove the stems, and roughly chop.
2. Make the sambal paste by adding the softened chiles, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, and anchovy paste to a blender or food processor. Blend until you have a thick, mostly smooth paste, adding a tablespoon or two of water only if necessary to get the mixture moving. A little texture is fine.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sambal paste to the oil and cook for 25–30 minutes, stirring frequently. The mixture will become darker, lose its raw smell, and the oil will begin to separate and pool around the edges. If the paste becomes too thick or starts sticking, add water 1 tablespoon at a time. Keep the paste thick as you do not want a watery sambal.
4. Stir in the brown sugar and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Taste and add salt as needed. The anchovy paste already has salt so add the salt gradually.
6. Cook for another 2–3 minutes, then remove from the heat. Let the sambal cool slightly before serving.

Coconut Rice

Ingredients

• 2 cups Jasmine rice
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 cups water
• 1 lemongrass talk, smashed
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Rinse the rice then add it to the pot with the rest of the ingredients.
2. Bring to boil then cook on a low heat, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.