ENCHE KABIN FRIED CHICKEN is a traditional recipe in Peranakan cuisine. It is essentially a fried chicken marinated with various local herbs and spices such as turmeric, five-spice, soy sauce and oyster sauce dipped in an egg yolk batter and coated with corn starch before being deep fried.

This dish used to be served as a cocktail snack in Colonial Malaya but recipes vary largely due to the nature of the dish. The seasonings can be changed to include flavours that are more familiar to a town or region and while some will fry the entire chicken, it is also very doable with individual chicken cuts like drummets or wings.

Ingredients

• 1 kg chicken whole legs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 4 cups oil, for deep-frying

Seasoning (A) – (combined)

• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp fennel powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 4 tbsp meat curry powder
• 1 tbsp ginger juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 5 shallots, finely blended

(B)

• 50ml thick coconut milk

Dipping sauce – (combined)

• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 2 tsp sugar
• 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 2 bird’s eye chillies, chopped

Method

• Marinate chicken with seasoning (A) and (B) and allow to sit in the marinade for several hours or preferably overnight in the refrigerator.
• Heat oil in a wok and deep-fry the marinated chicken until almost cooked.  Dish out and drain in a colander. Reheat the oil and deep-fry chicken once more until crispy and golden brown. Remove chicken to a serving plate and serve immediately with dipping sauce.

Related links

• Enche Kabin (Malaysianfood)
• Fried Chicken 'Inche Kabin' Recipes (Malaysian nyonya cooking)
• Enche Kabin - Nyonya style fried chicken  (Jinhooi)