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Ayam Paprik is a popular Malaysian spicy chicken stir-fry dish. Tender chicken pieces are cooked on high heat with a blend of spice paste, vegetables such as onion, green bean, carrot, and bell peppers. It's best served with steamed white rice.
My college years in Kuala Lumpur (commonly known as “KL”), right after my high school and A-levels in Penang were one of the best times of my life.
It was during those years in KL that I met Mr. Rasa Malaysia, and formed precious and lasting friendships with some of my best friends.
Lots of beautiful memories, laughter, admirers (yep, I had lots of admirers in the college back then), and scrumptious foods.
At least once a week, after the tedious and boring lectures at the college, Mr. Rasa Malaysia and our best friends would descend to the Malay warung (Malay food stall) right outside of our college.
We would always order our favorite ayam paprik—a mouthwatering spicy chicken stir-fry, tom yum, and telur dadar (omelet), to go with the warm and fluffy steamed rice.
It was then that I fell in love with Malay cooking, or in this case, Thai-style Malay food.
There are many Malay warung dotting the streets of Malaysia—a simple set up with gas stoves, fresh ingredients, and 2-3 people manning the stall.
These Malay warung make everything fresh, or on orders placed by patrons.
The menu ranges from nasi goreng (fried rice), tom yum (Thai hot and sour shrimp soup), to various rice plates.
One of the most popular rice plates is probably nasi paprik, a rice plate with a serving of ayam paprik or spicy chicken stir-fry.
The dishes served at these Malay warung are not “pure” Malay food, but Thai-influenced Malay food.
Many of the cooks learned their recipes from northern Malaysia, close to the borders of southern Thailand.
Here is my ayam paprik recipe. The word paprik is derived from Thai words “Pad Prik.”
I asked my friend She Simmers who is a Thai linguist/food blogger and she told me that “pad” means “fry” and “prik” means “chili.”
So this is my spicy chicken stir-fry recipe, or ayam paprik, a very popular and well-loved dish in Malaysia.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is only 321 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Spicy Chicken Stir Fry
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Spicy Chicken Stir-Fry (Ayam Paprik)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons Thai roasted chili paste, nam prik phao
- 8 oz (250g) chicken breast, sliced into thin pieces
- 1/4 onion, cut into pieces
- 2 oz (60g) green beans, tips removed and cut into 2-inch (5cm) strips
- 1/2 small carrot, peeled and sliced
- 1/4 green bell pepper, capsicum, deseeded and thinly sliced
- 1/4 red bell pepper , or 1 red chili, deseeded and thinly sliced
- chilies, lightly pounded, optional
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet soy sauce, kecap manis
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
Instructions
- Heat up a wok over high heat and add the oil. Add the garlic to the wok and stir-fry until aromatic, followed by the Thai roasted chili paste or nam prik pao.
- Add the chicken and quickly stir-fry until it is half cooked. Then, add the onion, green beans, carrot, green and red bell peppers, and bird's eye chilies, stirring to combine well with the chicken.
- Add the sweet soy sauce and fish sauce, and stir to blend well. (If you prefer your chicken to be a little saucy, you can add two tablespoons of water at this point.) Once the chicken and all the ingredients are cooked through, dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
