Lontong Kari Ayam

I am a huge fan of the Indonesian version chicken curry or Lontong Kari Ayam, a favorite food of my childhood years. The one that I like is chicken curry with a soupy but not too thick coconuty richness and a hint of salty, spicy and sweet taste. When I am not too lazy, I often added a bit of veggies like green bean, diced carrots or tofu. I also like to add red eye bird chillis ten minutes before the curry is done and I love to crush one or two chillis inside my bowl with the back of the spoon as I like them real hot!

Lontong are pressed rice cake wrapped in banana leaves cooked in simmering water for an hour or 2. Quite a bit of preparation goes into the making of this dish and there is no short cut method to do it. For me, the secret of cooking good chicken curry lies in the fresh ingredients (in Indonesian we do not use curry powder like Indian curry) and I'd prefer to use mortar and pestle to grind the spices so the paste won't turn too watery and have more fragrant. I also prefer fresh squeeze coconut milk which is easily available here. Well, the combo of curry and lontong may keep any Atkins follower at bay but I love them so much. I can finish every last drop of the soup, and had to restrain myself from licking the bowl clean...LOL!