Sambal Belacan Roast Chicken with Corn

On Christmas day, we dropped by at Auntie Nancy's house for a visit and were treated to a sumptuous spread of teatime delights, namely scones, cookies, quiche and cakes. I am amazed at how she managed to prepare so much delicious food, and on top of that, she also baked some chicken, which we got to "da pao" (ie. takeaway) later. I didn't find out what she put in the chicken, but the kids loved it as they had it for their dinner when we got home. There wasn't any left for the adults, although I managed to taste a little of it as I polished some of the remaining bits of meat off the bone. It was tasty but I just couldn't place what seasoning she used, until much later. I think it was sambal belacan, just a hint of it, which is why it wasn't too spicy for the kids. There was also corn on the cob, lightly covered with specks of chilli flakes. Mmm...yummy.

And so, inspired by the roast chicken that I never really got to eat, I decided to make something similar (based on what I think it was). You can't really go wrong with roast chicken as it is relatively easy to prepare and you don't really need a recipe. Here, I basically prepared some sambal belacan and used that to marinade the chicken and the corn, then baked them in the oven for about an hour. Easy and delicious!

Sambal Belacan Roast Chicken with Corn

Ingredients

2 large chicken thighs
Corn on the cob, cut into pieces

Marinade, combined in a bowl:
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp thick dark soy sauce / kecap manis (optional)
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

Sambal belacan:
4 long red chillies, sliced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tbsp belacan, toasted in a pan
1-2 tbsp lemon/lime juice, or to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste

Method:

1. Combine the marinade with 1 tbsp (or more if preferred) sambal belacan. Rub all over the chicken and coat well. Roll some of the corn in the sambal belacan. Place in a foil-lined oven proof dish and cover with foil. Leave chicken to marinade for 3-4 hours.
2. Place the chicken and corn in a preheated oven at 210°C. After half an hour, remove foil top and continue to bake for another half hour or until cooked. Place under hot grill for about 5 minutes until chicken skin is lightly charred. Serve with extra side of sambal.
3. Sambal belacan: Using a mortar and pestle, pound chillies, garlic and belacan until almost fine. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix and adjust accordingly to taste.

Sambal belacan