Sambal Goreng Ampela

Chicken hearts (jantung ayam) and gizzards (ampela), a nay or a yay?.. For me, its definitely a yay, or more likely a YAAAAY, chicken hearts and gizzard!!, followed by a disturbing victory dance movement. I really like these chicken tidbits. Unfortunately it is not so easy to find at our local groceries, so whenever I find it, I always pile them up on my trolley and endure the stink eye of the cashier when she/he has to scan the crazy amounts of the tidbits boxes.

Personally, I think the taste of this tidbits is pretty versatile. You can use it as a substitute meat for any recipe. Some people like it tender and succulent, and some other, the masticators, like it more chewy. I am on the last team.

Today's recipe will be for the tender and succulent tidbits lover. It requires a relatively long cooking duration. The thing with tidbits, no matter how long you cook it, it will not fall apart like meat. It will just be soft and juicy. The tidbits will be cooked in red curry sauce, spicy and flavorful.

Ingredients:
500 gr chicken gizzard, cleaned and cut into bite size
500 gr chicken heart. cleaned
10 thai chilli, cut thinly
500 ml coconut oil (I used one can)
1 tsp tamarind paste
2 salam leaves
2 cm fresh Galangal
1 tsp salt to taste
1 tsp of shredded gula jawa (Indonesian palm sugar)
100 ml water

Ingredients to paste:
3 tbsp oil
1 Red sweet peppers
4 thai chilli
3 shallots
3 garlic
1 tsp shrimp paste

Cooking steps:

1. Using electronic food processor, put oil, red sweet peppers, 4 thai chillies, shallots, garlic, and shrimp paste, and turn into smooth paste, 
2. Sautée the paste along with galangal and 10 thinly cut chillies until fragrant, the paste shall turns bright red, 
3. Add water and continue cooking on medium heat, 
4. Add chicken gizzard, chicken heart, tamarind paste, Salam leaves, salt, and gula jawa, (adjust salt and gula jawa or sugar to your likinhg)
5. Continue cooking until the chicken tidbits cooked, 
6. Add coconut milk, continue cooking on low heat until the chicken tidbits are very tender. 

Happy cooking!