Belacan Fried Chicken 馬來盞炸雞 - "Malaysian style"

They might look like just another batch of ordinary fried chicken but in fact they are anything but ordinary.

This is a relatively new dish that is rather similar to the popular har jeong  kei (蝦醬雞, shrimp paste chicken) from Hong Kong/Southern China, and I won't be surprised if the creator was simply trying to recreate har jeong kei using locally produced belacan (shrimp paste) instead. What do you think?

Despite being quite pungent in it's raw stage; both the taste and smell of belacan are a lot mellower and "sweeter" after a light grilling. I have served this dish to friends who would never go near a block of belacan but can't have enough of these delicious fried chicken marinated with something that repelled them in the first place.

P.S I will do a post on har jeong kei soon so stay tuned!

serves 2 to 4 as part of a Malaysian meal
you'll need;
1/2 kg of chicken wings
2 x 3 mm slice of belacan (shrimp paste), lightly grilled and pounded*
2 garlic cloves, grated
a small knob of ginger, grated
3 tbs of premium oyster sauce
dash of sesame oil
1 tsp of sugar
dash of white pepper
4 tbs of corn flour
oil for frying
* Instant belacan powder can be used instead.

Grill belacan (shrimp paste) for a few minutes on each side on low flame, allow to cool then pound to a fine powder.

Marinate chicken for 1 to 2 hours.

Fry chicken in batches until golden and crispy.

Crispy on the outside but tender and juicy inside - serve as part of a Malaysian meal or as a perfect snack with a few cold beers.