Tim Ayam Jawa - spicy steamed chicken with sambal

Ingredients

• 600 g or 1 small chickenchicken thighs or a small chicken
• 4shallots
• 3 clovesgarlic
• 1red chilli (lombok)
• 10bird’s eye chillies (rawits)
• 3 cmginger
• 2Indonesian bay leaves (salam)
• 1 tspsalt
• 250 mlwater
• 4shallots
• 3 clovesgarlic
• 4red chillies (lomboks)
• 1tomato
• 2 tsproasted shrimp paste (terasi)
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 tbsppalm sugar
• 2 tbspoil

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the chicken

   Cut the chicken into 12 pieces. Finely chop the shallots, garlic, red chilli, bird’s eye chillies and ginger, then mix them with the chicken, Indonesian bay leaves and salt.

2. 2

   Steam the chicken

   Spoon the chicken mixture into a bowl and pour in 250 ml water. Steam for 50 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

3. 3

   Steam the sambal

   Steam the sambal shallots, garlic, red chillies and tomato until soft.

4. 4

   Grind the paste

   Pound or grind the steamed vegetables with the roasted shrimp paste and salt until they form a paste.

5. 5

   Fry the sambal

   Heat the oil in a pan and fry the paste until the oil separates out. Stir in the palm sugar, then serve the sambal with the chicken.

What is Tim Ayam Jawa?

Tim Ayam Jawa is an Indonesian steamed chicken dish, served here with sambal, a chilli-based condiment. The name points to Javanese-style chicken, while the method keeps the seasoning close to the meat as it cooks.

Aromatic chopped chillies, ginger, shallots and garlic season the chicken, and the separate sambal adds a punchy, sweet-savoury finish. Steaming both the chicken and the sambal vegetables softens their flavours before the sambal is fried.

Nutrition and macros by portion

The nutrition label shows one serving as written: 1750 calories, 0g protein, 0g carbs, 0g fat.

The chicken is the main source of protein, while the sambal’s oil contributes much of its fat. The recipe also includes palm sugar, and rice served alongside would add most of the plate’s carbohydrates. Pair a portion with vegetables and a measured serving of rice for a more balanced meal.

The chicken and its aromatics

Chicken: Use the stated 600 g of thighs or one small chicken; cut a whole chicken into 12 pieces so it is ready to steam. Thighs are naturally forgiving, while pieces from a small chicken give a mix of cuts.

Aromatics: Chop the shallots, garlic, red chilli, bird’s eye chillies and ginger finely so they distribute around the chicken. Indonesian bay leaves, known as salam, add a distinct fragrant note; use them as specified rather than treating them as a garnish.

Why steam the chicken?

The chicken steams in a bowl with 250 ml water and its chopped seasoning. Keep the bowl stable in the steamer and make sure the lid fits so the cooking environment stays steamy.

The method gives a 50-minute cooking time, but doneness matters more than the clock. Check that the thickest part of the chicken is cooked through before serving.

Building the sambal

Softening: Steam the shallots, garlic, red chillies and tomato until soft; this makes them easier to pound or grind. The sambal chillies are separate from those mixed into the chicken.

Frying: Grind the softened vegetables with roasted shrimp paste and salt, then fry the paste in oil. Stir in the palm sugar after the oil separates, as directed, for a rounded sweet and savoury finish.

How to serve it

Serve the chicken with the sambal alongside or spooned over the top, so diners can choose how much heat they want. Rice is a practical accompaniment to the seasoned juices and the chilli paste.

For a more balanced plate, add plain rice and a serving of vegetables, such as greens or cucumber. The recipe does not specify these sides, so adjust them to suit your meal.

Recipe notes & tips

• Cut the chicken into pieces of similar size so they steam at a similar rate.
• Chop the chicken-seasoning aromatics finely to spread their flavour through the bowl.
• Use a heatproof bowl that fits securely inside your steamer.
• Check the thickest piece for doneness before taking the chicken out.
• Grind the sambal to your preferred texture, from coarse to smooth.
• Add the palm sugar only after frying the paste until the oil separates.

Variations

• Adjust the heat: Use fewer bird’s eye chillies in the chicken mixture for a milder result.
• Choose thighs: Use 600 g chicken thighs for the specified thigh option.
• Use a small chicken: Cut one small chicken into 12 pieces as an alternative to thighs.
• Make a smoother sambal: Grind the steamed vegetables thoroughly for a finer paste.
• Serve with rice: Add plain rice and vegetables to make the chicken part of a fuller meal.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Uneven chicken pieces: Cut the chicken into 12 pieces so they are more likely to cook evenly.
• Coarsely chopped aromatics: Finely chop them so they mix more thoroughly with the chicken.
• Rushing the steaming: Allow the stated 50 minutes, then check the chicken is cooked through.
• Under-softened sambal vegetables: Steam them until soft before pounding or grinding.
• Adding sugar too early: Stir the palm sugar into the sambal after the oil separates.
• Overlooking the sambal heat: Serve it separately so each person can control how much they use.

How to store

Refrigerate leftover chicken and sambal in separate airtight containers and use within 3 days. Reheat the chicken until piping hot throughout; warm the sambal gently in a pan or serve it at room temperature.

Frequently asked questions