Ayam Pongteh (Nyonya Taucheo Chicken)

0/3

Work top to bottom — prep ahead while timers run

Gather everything first, then follow the steps

Protein· 1

  • 130 g skinless chicken thigh (bite-size)130g

Carbs· 1

  • 90 g potato (chunks)90g

Vegetables· 2

  • 25 g shallots (chopped)25g
  • 8 g garlic (minced)8g

Sauces· 2

  • 15 g taucheo (lightly mashed)15g
  • 5 g dark soy sauce (1 tsp, for colour)(staple)5g

Spices· 2

  • 3 g sugar (½ tsp)(staple)3g
  • pinch of salt (taucheo is salty — go easy)(staple)1g

Fats & oils· 1

  • 5 g cooking oil (1 tsp)5g
  1. 2 min · hands-free

    Heat 1 tsp oil in a non-stick pan and sauté the shallots and garlic over medium heat until golden and fragrant, ~2 min.

    Why? The sweet aroma of browned shallots is the backbone of pongteh — taking time to build it here matters more to the flavour than adding extra oil.

    Tip: Pat the shallots and garlic dry before they hit the pan — they'll spit less and brown faster.

    02:00

    Next up:Add the taucheo and fry ~1 min until fragrant, then add the chicken and stir until the surface turns white; drizzle in the dark soy for colour.

  2. Add the taucheo and fry ~1 min until fragrant, then add the chicken and stir until the surface turns white; drizzle in the dark soy for colour.

    Why? Taucheo is fermented soybean; frying it first draws out a deep savoury note — that natural umami means you don't need MSG or heaps of sugar to make the dish sing.
    Watch out: Taucheo is already salty — hold off on the salt now and taste before adding any.

    Next up:Add the potato chunks and just enough water to barely cover, stir in the sugar, cover and simmer gently for 12 min until the chicken is tender and the potato is cooked through.

  3. 12 min · hands-free

    Add the potato chunks and just enough water to barely cover, stir in the sugar, cover and simmer gently for 12 min until the chicken is tender and the potato is cooked through.

    Why? Braising in water instead of extra oil lets the potato soak up the taucheo broth and thicken it naturally — the ½ tsp sugar only rounds off the saltiness, it isn't there to make the dish sweet.

    Tip: Kill the heat once the gravy reduces to a light coating on the potato; serve with half a bowl of brown rice.

    12:00