Ayam masak merah

Ayam masak merah
‏ايم ماسق ميره‎

A plate of nasi putih with ayam masak merah and sayur tumis at a Malaysian restaurant
Course	Main course
Place of origin	Johor
Region or state	Malaysia and Singapore
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Chicken (cut and fried), chillies, garlic, ginger, onions, tomato puree

Ayam masak merah (Jawi: ‏ايم ماسق ميره‎; lit. 'red-cooked chicken' in Malay) is a Malaysian/Singaporean chicken dish. Popular in both countries, it is a casserole of chicken pieces in dried chillies sambal. It tends to be a home-cooked dish, so many variations on the recipe exist. Pieces of chicken are first marinated in turmeric before being fried to a golden brown then slowly braised in a spicy dried chillies, onion and tomato sauce. Peas are sometimes added to the dish, as are aromatic spices such as cloves, star anise and cinnamon bark, and it is garnished with shredded kaffir lime leaves as well as coriander. It is often paired with tomato rice – cooked with tomato sauce or paste, milk, dried spices, and garlic, onions and ginger.

Difference

Name	Materials	Main ingredient	Place	Creator	Colour	Smell and taste
Ayam masak sambal/Chicken cooked in sambal	Shallot, Garlic, Ginger, Dried Chili	Dried Chili	Malaysia	Malaysian Malay	Red chili dry	The smell of chili
Ayam masak merah/Red cooked chicken	Shallot, Garlic, Ginger, Dried Chili, Cardamom, Cloves, Lemongrass, Pureed Tomatoes, Tomato Ketchup, Chili Ketchup, Pandan Leaves, Leeks, Soup Leaves	Tomato puree,lemongrass, star anise, cloves, cardamom, pandan leaves, leaves	Johor	Malay Johor	Tomato red	The smell of tomatoes
Ayam masak serai/Cooked lemongrass chicken	Shallot, Garlic, Ginger, Dried Chili, Lots of Lemongrass, Cardamom, Clove Flower	Lots of lemongrass, cloves, cardamom	Johor	Malay Johor	Bright red	The smell of lemongrass
Ayam masak ros/Rose cooked chicken	Red onion, garlic, ginger, galangal, lemongrass, pureed tomato, cardamom, cloves, star anise, pandan leaves, evaporated milk, ghee	Tomato puree, Ghee, Evaporated milk	Penang and Kedah	Mamak or Malaysian Indian Muslim	orange red	The smell of tomatoes and milk
Ayam masak sos/Chicken cooked in sauce	Shallot, Garlic, Dried Chili, Tomato Ketchup, Chili Ketchup, Oyster Sauce, Leek	Chilli Ketchup, Tomato Ketchup, Oyster sauce	Patani restaurant in Malaysia	Patanese and Malay peninsula	Dark red Caramelise ketchup	The smell of the ketchup

Further reading

• "Ayam masak merah (Malay-Style Red-Cooked Chicken With Pandan)". Saveur.
• Ayam Masak Merah – Tomato Chicken Curry