Indonesian Ayam Bumbu Kuning with Coconut Rice
A classic Indonesian dish featuring tender poached chicken simmered in a fragrant yellow spice paste, served alongside creamy coconut-infused rice and sautéed seasonal greens. This weeknight-friendly recipe embraces traditional flavors and straightforward poaching technique, highlighting the essence of Indonesian home cooking.
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Overview
Indonesian Ayam Bumbu Kuning is a vibrant, aromatic chicken dish simmered in a rich yellow spice paste made from turmeric, ginger, garlic, and other fragrant ingredients. Poaching the chicken gently keeps it tender and juicy, while the accompanying coconut rice offers a creamy, subtly sweet balance. Sautéed seasonal greens add freshness and texture, completing this wholesome Indonesian rice bowl perfect for any weeknight.
Why you’ll love it
- Easy poaching technique ensures perfectly tender chicken every time.
- Traditional Indonesian flavors with turmeric and coconut bring warmth and spice without heat.
- Coconut rice is creamy and flavorful, made simply with coconut milk and pandan leaf if available.
- Flexible recipe that adapts to your choice of seasonal greens for freshness.
Ingredient notes
Chicken: Bone-in chicken thighs are preferred for tenderness and flavor, but breasts can be used if preferred.
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Yellow spice paste (Bumbu Kuning): Made from fresh or ground turmeric, shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and candlenuts or macadamia nuts for creaminess.
Coconut rice: Made by cooking jasmine rice with coconut milk and water, optionally infused with pandan leaf or a small piece of ginger for fragrance.
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Seasonal greens: Use local options like baby kale, spinach, bok choy, or green beans, sautéed with garlic.
Serving & storage
Serve the poached chicken with a generous helping of coconut rice and sautéed greens. Garnish with fresh lime wedges and chopped coriander if desired. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently to preserve texture and flavors. The coconut rice can be refreshed with a sprinkle of water and microwaved or steamed until warm.
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Chef tips
- Use bone-in thighs for juicier, more flavorful chicken compared to breasts.
- If fresh turmeric is not available, ground turmeric can be used but adjust quantity carefully to avoid bitterness.
- Keep an eye on the chicken while poaching to ensure it stays at a gentle simmer; boiling can toughen the meat.
- Pandan leaf adds traditional fragrance to the coconut rice but can be omitted if unavailable.
- Make sure to rinse jasmine rice thoroughly to achieve fluffy, non-sticky texture.
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs)bone-in chicken thighs, skin on
- 4 shallots, peeled and slicedshallots
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and mincedgarlic
- 2 cm (0.8 inch) fresh turmeric root, peeled and chopped or 1 tsp ground turmericturmeric
- 2 cm (0.8 inch) fresh ginger, peeled and choppedginger
- 1 stalk lemongrass, white part only, bruised and choppedlemongrass
- 2 candlenuts or 2 macadamia nuts, choppedcandlenuts
- 2 bird’s eye chilies, deseeded (optional)bird’s eye chilies
- 1 tbsp vegetable oilvegetable oil
- 400 ml (1 2/3 cups) coconut milkcoconut milk
- 200 ml (3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp) waterwater
- 300 g (1 1/2 cups) jasmine rice, rinsedjasmine rice
- 1 pandan leaf, tied in a knot (optional)pandan leaf
- 300 g (10 oz) seasonal greens (baby kale, spinach, or bok choy)seasonal greens
- 2 cloves garlic, mincedgarlic for greens
- 1 tbsp vegetable oilvegetable oil for greens
- Salt to tastesalt
- Fresh lime wedges, to servelime wedges
- Fresh coriander/cilantro, chopped, to serve (optional)coriander/cilantro
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Equipment
- large saucepan with lid
- blender or mortar and pestle
- frying pan
- knife
- cutting board
- measuring cups and spoons
- rice cooker or pot for rice
Nutrition per serving
- Calories520
- Protein35 g
- Carbs54 g
- Fat18 g
Step-by-step
Step 1
Prepare the yellow spice paste by blending shallots, garlic, turmeric, ginger, lemongrass, candlenuts, and bird’s eye chilies (if using) with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil until smooth.Step 2
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the spice paste. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes until fragrant and slightly thickened.Step 3
Add the bone-in chicken thighs to the saucepan and stir to coat the chicken in the spice paste.Step 4
Pour in the coconut milk and water, bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and poach the chicken on low heat for 25 minutes or until cooked through (internal temperature should reach 74°C/165°F).Step 5
While chicken is cooking, rinse the jasmine rice under cold water until water runs clear.Step 6
In a rice cooker or pot, combine rinsed rice, coconut milk (from step 4), water, pandan leaf (if using), and a pinch of salt. Cook rice until fluffy, about 15–20 minutes.Step 7
Wash and prepare the seasonal greens by trimming and cutting into bite-size pieces if needed.Step 8
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.Step 9
Add the greens to the pan and sauté for 3-4 minutes until wilted but still bright green. Season with salt to taste.Step 10
Once chicken is done, remove from heat and let it rest, covered, for 5 minutes before serving.
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