Kid-friendly Ayam Masak Merah

Pandai2lah sendiri censor ye..

Nothing substantial going on in my life.
Izani and I have been swapping cold germs back and forth. I get better, he gets sick, he gets better, I get sick.

So what does a domestic goddess do when there's nothing else to do?
Why, cook, of course. Everyones gots to eats.

Here's an Ayam Masak Merah (Chicken in Red Sauce) dish that my kids will eat, because it's not spicy. It's actually based on Cikgu Munah's (my mom in law) recipe, which is usually quite spicy. I modified it so that it is agreeable to my kids' (and their father's) sensitive palate (and their father's stomach).
You can adjust the spiciness by reducing/increasing the amount of chillies you use. Somehow omitting it altogether will make the dish lose it's kick, it's Masak-Merah-ness...

Kid-Friendly Ayam Masak Merah

Ground:
2 red chillies (dried or fresh)
1/2 medium onion
1 garlic pip

Slice thinly:
5 shallots
2 garlic pips
1/2 inch ginger

135grams tomato paste (it doesnt have to be exact, I used an entire small box)
1kg chicken (cut into manageable pieces, rubbed with a little salt)
1 cup chicken stock (or 2 chicken stock cubes dissolved in 1 cup water)
sugar, salt and pepper to taste
1 large onion (cut into rings)

Method:
In about 4 tablespoons of cooking oil, saute the thinly sliced ingredients till almost brown. Add the ground ingredients and fry till fragrant. Add in the tomato paste with a little bit of water, stir to mix. Let simmer covered, stirring ocassionally till the paste seperates from the oil. Pour in the chicken stock, stir to mix well.
Slide in the chicken pieces and add water just enough to cover the chicken. Let simmer till chicken is cooked. Add more water if you want more sauce. Season with sugar, salt and pepper to taste. The sugar should make the tomato less acidic, and would give the sauce a nice sheen.
Turn off the heat, add the onion rings and let wilt.

I think i used too much oil in mine...

I didn't garnish mine with anything, but you could, to make it look more professional, use chopped cilantro, fried crispy shallot slices, roasted cashews, raisins or even peas.
This dish goes well with white rice, or tomato rice (which I made to go with the dish, thanx to lollies' recipe over YM) or even briyani.
I also made Pajeri Nenas (Pineapples in thick spice sauce) to accompany this, so that it seems more 'kenduri kahwin'-like. But we'll save that recipe for tomorrow lah ye?

Note to non-Malaysians: Tomato Rice, Ayam Masak Merah and Pajeri Nenas are dishes normally served at Malay wedding receptions.