Main course
Chicken in ketjap with cucumber pickle
Twenty minutes in the wok, a glossy lacquer — and nobody's the wiser.
This dish proves a good bluff is sometimes just a hot wok and ten minutes of waiting. The chicken soaks in a marinade of sweet soy, garlic and ginger while you get the rice going, and that same marinade turns into a glossy, sticky lacquer in the pan. Nobody needs to know it was a quarter of an hour of active work from start to finish.
Bluff Stars
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Bluff Stars given
Method
- Cook the rice according to the packet instructions.
- Mix ketjap, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and sambal in a bowl. Cut the chicken into pieces and marinate for at least 15 minutes (longer, or overnight, works too).
- Sprinkle the cucumber ribbons with a pinch of salt and let drain in a sieve for 10 minutes. Mix with rice vinegar, sugar and the red chilli into a fresh pickle.
- Heat the sunflower oil in a wok or frying pan over high heat. Fry the chicken in batches until golden — don't overcrowd the pan, or the chicken will steam instead of sear.
- Pour in the marinade and let it reduce for 4-5 minutes until it's a thick, glossy lacquer that clings to the chicken.
- Divide the rice between the plates, spoon the glossy chicken on top and serve the cucumber pickle alongside. Finish with sesame seeds and spring onion.
Bluff approved?
Does the ketjap glaze cling to the chicken instead of pooling on the plate? Bluff approved.
The bluff
Let the sauce lacquer, not swim
The difference between 'just chicken with sauce' and a bluff is in the last two minutes: let the ketjap reduce until it clings to the spoon instead of pooling around the chicken. Swirl the pan instead of stirring, so every piece gets an even, glossy coat.
Why it works: Ketjap manis is already loaded with sugar - it caramelises on its own into a thick, glossy coating once you let it reduce, no extra sugar or thickener needed.
Plating — how to make it look expensive
- Pack the rice into a small bowl and turn it out for a neat dome on the plate.
- Stack the glossy chicken slightly off-centre on top, prettiest pieces facing up.
- Set the cucumber pickle loosely alongside for colour and freshness — don't mix it in.
- Sesame seeds and finely sliced spring onion for the final colour and crunch.
All-in bluff
Want to go further? Marinate the chicken overnight instead of 15 minutes - the longer it sits, the deeper the flavour goes.
What you say at the table
“Oh, this? Just chicken, ketjap and a hot pan.”
“The secret's in the last few minutes — just let the sauce reduce.”
Make it complete
The cucumber pickle and rice already make it a complete plate; a bowl of prawn crackers alongside never hurts.
What to drink
A cold glass of witbier, or an ice-cold ginger ale if you're not drinking.
Bluff first-aid
Marinade burning before the chicken's cooked?
Turn the heat down as soon as the sauce starts to thicken - the sugars in ketjap burn fast on high heat.
Pickle too sharp or sour?
Add an extra pinch of sugar to bring it back into balance.
Second life
- Leftover chicken? Slice it fine and stir through fried noodles or rice for lunch.