Opor ayam is the gentle, golden chicken curry served across Indonesia at Lebaran, usually beside ketupat rice cakes. It isn’t spicy; its flavour comes from a fragrant spice paste and a sauce built entirely on coconut milk.

Because the coconut milk is the sauce, its quality shows. Organic coconut milk with a clean, fresh taste makes a sauce that is rich without tasting heavy.

Serves 4–6 · Prep 20 min · Cook 45 min

Ingredients

Spice paste

• 6 shallots (or 2 banana shallots)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 4 candlenuts (or 4 raw macadamia nuts)
• 2 cm piece fresh ginger
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp white peppercorns
• ½ tsp ground turmeric (optional, for a golden colour)

Curry

• 1 kg bone-in chicken pieces
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 lemongrass stalks, bruised and knotted
• 2 cm piece galangal, sliced
• 3 salam (Indonesian bay) leaves — optional
• 4 makrut lime leaves (often labelled kaffir lime leaves)
• 400 ml water
• 1 tin (400 ml) full-fat organic coconut milk
• 1 tsp organic coconut sugar
• 1½ tsp salt, or to taste

To serve

• Fried shallots, steamed rice or ketupat

Method

1. Make the paste. Blend or pound all the spice paste ingredients until smooth, adding a splash of water if needed.
2. Fry the paste. Heat the oil in a wide pot and fry the paste over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until fragrant and no longer raw-smelling.
3. Add aromatics and chicken. Stir in the lemongrass, galangal, salam and lime leaves, then the chicken. Turn the pieces for 5 minutes to coat them in the paste.
4. Simmer. Pour in the water, bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.
5. Add the coconut milk. Stir in the coconut milk, coconut sugar and salt. Simmer uncovered over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often so the sauce doesn’t split, until the sauce is creamy and the thickest piece of chicken reaches 75°C.
6. Serve. Remove the lemongrass and galangal, scatter with fried shallots and serve with rice or ketupat.

Tips

• Finding the aromatics: Galangal, lemongrass and makrut lime leaves are sold fresh or frozen in Asian supermarkets and increasingly in large supermarkets. No galangal? Use extra ginger; the flavour will be milder. No salam leaves? Leave them out — a European bay leaf is not the same herb.
• Allergy note: Macadamia nuts are one of the 14 allergens that must be declared in the EU and UK. If you swap them in for candlenuts, tell your guests.
• Keep it below a boil once the coconut milk goes in; a hard boil makes the oil separate.
• Make it ahead: Opor tastes better the next day and keeps 3 days in the fridge.

FAQ

Is opor ayam spicy?

No. It is one of Indonesia’s mildest curries; serve sambal on the side for heat.

What’s the difference between opor and gulai?

Gulai uses more chili and turmeric and is usually redder and spicier; opor is pale and mild.

Can I use light coconut milk?

Yes, but the sauce will be thinner. Simmer it a little longer to reduce.