How the MasterChef UK judge got it so wrong about chicken rendang

A plate of chicken rendang served at a restaurant in Cyberjaya, Selangor, along with the herbs and spices used in the dish. Photo: Reuters

Still baffled by the crispy chicken rendang we never had? While doing research on rendang sometime ago, I was startled to come across an article for making crispy chicken rendang that is “seriously Malaysian”.

The story explains rendang as “a dish of meat (though seafood or vegetables are used as well) stewed slowly in a coconut-curry liquid. Pastes containing aromatics and spices like lemongrass, galangal, chilli, and cinnamon are added in the beginning. As the meat stews in the paste and coconut milk mixture, the liquid becomes more and more reduced until finally, only the oils of the coconut milk are left.”