Step 1

Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying over a medium high heat. Add in the shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and turmeric. Stir fry for a few minutes until fragrant, then remove from the pan into a small bowl.

Step 2

Pour in the sugar and water for the caramelisation into the same frying pan over a medium heat. Note: Watch carefully, as it will bubble like crazy and start to turn golden then darker brown. Don’t let it go past this point as it will burn the sugar, giving you a bitter taste to the chicken. Place the chicken pieces in at this point and mix around to coat them in the caramelised sauce.

Step 3

Once the chicken is coated and lightly browned after around 3 minutes, pour your fried aromatics, chicken stock powder, black pepper and salt over the chicken and continue to cook for a few more minutes, stirring regularly.

Step 4

Now it’s time to braise! Pour in the water and fish sauce and bring it up to a boil over a medium high heat. Once bubbling, bring the heat down to a simmer and place a lid over the top. Braise for around 10 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Step 5

Remove the lid, and place the heat back up to medium high to allow the sauce to thicken, stirring and coating the chicken as you go. Give it another 5-10 minutes until the sauce is reduced to how you like it! Add a splash of Maggi seasoning sauce here if you want to add some extra salty magic!

Step 6

Serve hot with rice and garnish with optional chilli, salt & pepper and leftover ginger pieces.