Indonesian fried chicken is not Kentucky Fried Chicken. The technique is fundamentally different: Indonesian ayam goreng is BRAISED first in a spiced liquid (coconut milk or turmeric water), then deep-fried. The braising step serves three purposes that Western fried chicken's brine-and-batter approach does not achieve: it seasons the meat TO THE BONE (the spices penetrate during the slow braise), it partially cooks the chicken (the frying is a finishing step, not the entire cooking process), and it produces a completely different texture — no batter, no coating, just the chicken's own skin crisped to a shattering shell over meat that is falling-off-the-bone tender.
1. **Three-star:** Braised in fresh bumbu with fresh coconut milk (Padang style) or fresh aromatics (Javanese). Fried to order. Skin shatters audibly on first bite. Meat falls from bone. Served within 2 minutes of frying. 2. **Professional:** Braised correctly, fried slightly ahead of service — skin beginning to soften. 3. **Competent:** Braised in pre-made bumbu powder. Acceptable flavour, diminished complexity. 4. **Failure:** Not braised at all — simply battered and fried. This is Western fried chicken technique, not ayam goreng. Or braised but under-fried — the skin is chewy, not crisp.
INDONESIAN CUISINE — DEEP EXTRACTION BATCH 4