Recipes › Opor Ayam

Opor Ayam

By Rani Nurani · Published 2 November 2026

Opor ayam is the quiet cousin of richer coconut curries: no fiery red colour, just a soft spice paste, lemongrass and coconut milk simmered until the chicken is tender and the sauce coats a spoon.

Ingredients

• 1 kg chicken pieces, skin-on
• 6 shallots, 4 garlic cloves
• 3 candlenuts (or macadamias)
• 2 cm ginger, 2 cm galangal
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon white pepper
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 lemongrass stalks, bruised
• 4 kaffir lime leaves, 2 daun salam (or bay)
• 600 ml thick coconut milk
• 200 ml water
• 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon palm sugar

Method

1. Blend shallots, garlic, nuts, ginger, galangal and ground spices with a little oil into a paste.
2. Fry paste in oil 6–8 minutes until fragrant. Add chicken; coat and cook 4 minutes.
3. Add lemongrass, leaves, coconut milk, water, salt and sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer.
4. Cook uncovered 35–40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is tender and sauce lightly thickened. Do not boil hard or the milk may split.
5. Taste for salt. Serve with steamed rice or ketupat and a pinch of fried shallots.

Notes and tips

• Opor should stay pale; turmeric is optional and only a pinch if you use it.
• Make a day ahead — flavour settles overnight.
• Leftover sauce is excellent with boiled eggs added in the last 10 minutes.

Cooked it? Tell us how it went on the contact page — corrections and regional variations are always welcome.

Common mistakes

• Hard boil Splits coconut milk into oil and water. Keep a lazy simmer.
• Underfried paste Raw spice paste makes the sauce taste unfinished.
• Too much water You want a spoon-coating sauce, not a thin soup.

Frequently asked questions