Chicken in Spicy Tamarind Sauce (Ayam Asam Pedas)

MARINATE; Salt the chicken and set aside for 30 minutes or more.

COOK THE PASTE; heat 3 Tbsp of Cooking Oil until hot, then add the Sambal Paste. Cook the Paste until the oil separates.

TAMARIND; once the oil separates, add the Tamarind juice, Aromatics, Sugar and mix well. Bring it to a gentle boil and cover with a lid. Cook for 5 minutes and stirring occasionally.

CHICKEN; After 5 minutes, DISCARD the Aromatics, turn down the heat to a Simmer and then add in the Chicken. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.

VEGGIES; after 5 minutes, add the tomatoes and okra. Cover with lid and cook for 2 minutes. After that, remove the lid and season with Salt if necessary.

OPTIONAL; the dish is basically done but if you want to thicken the gravy, simply continue to simmer without a lid for another 5-10 minutes. You might want to remove the Okra and set it aside but you can leave the tomatoes and chicken in.

SERVE with cooked rice and garnish with Vietnamese Mint leaves.