Semur Chicken
Semur chicken and its sidekick, Sop Sop (see my Sop Sop recipe), always feature on the menu at Mabu Mabu. Semur is a hearty staple dish where a whole chicken is cooked in a thick soy broth with vermicelli noodles. The Asian flavours of lemongrass, soy and chilli feature in many Torres Strait Island dishes, influenced by the multiculturalism in the Straits that existed long before it did in the rest of Australia. Japanese fishers and divers have been living on the Islands since the nineteenth century, attracted by the bêche-de-mer (sea cucumber) and pearling industries. Torres Strait Islanders incorporated these Asian flavours into their cooking, along with ingredients from even older visitors from the surrounding islands of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. In this Mabu Mabu version of Semur chicken, I’ve enhanced the recipe by adding new flavours and techniques, and some fantastic native vegetables from all over Australia. It tastes even better the next day.
Serves 6-8 (or 4 Islanders).
Ingredients 15
1 whole chicken
60 ml vegetable oil, preferably macadamia oil
1 onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
10 cm fresh ginger, piece, peeled, finely sliced
2 stalks lemongrass, crushed, chopped into 5 cm (2 in) pieces
1 tbsp chilli paste
250 ml soy sauce
750 ml dark beer, preferably guinness
1⁄2 tsp pepperberries, whole
250 g vermicelli noodles
Handful karkalla, see my tips
Handful warrigal greens, see my tips
120 g spring onion (scallion), chopped
cooked rice, to serve
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Method 8
Chop the into large, chunky pieces (leave on the bone).
Heat the in a large pot over a high heat and brown the .
Add the , , , and , and cook until the onion is browned.
Add the and cook for 10–15 minutes.
Add the and , then slow-cook, covered, over a medium heat for at least 30 minutes, or until the is cooked through and just falling off the bone.
Once the is cooked, in a separate bowl, place the in hot water until clear, then drain and add to the pot.
Add the , and and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Serve with rice in bowls.
Mabu Mabu's tips
If you can’t find karkalla and warrigal greens, replace with other green vegetables, such as bok choy or silverbeet (Swiss chard).
