GAI YANG - Thai barbecued Chicken

As the summer months wend their way towards autumn a touch of gloom descends and the urge to be inventive with cooking fades into a distant memory along with the jandals and sunhats. But if you put aside the dull taste of the end-of-summer blues, you’ll notice that those evenings are still long, golden and perfect for barbecues and dining alfresco.

Chicken has to be one of the easiest meats to cook. Even the most novice cooks amongst us can manage a decent roast chicken. What’s important with chicken is what you put with it. This recipe takes deliciously tangy Thai flavours like coriander, garlic and fish sauce to perk up basic chicken pieces, rendering them fit for any relaxed evening barbecue with family or friends.

Ingredients:

1.6 kg fresh chicken pieces

5 cloves garlic

3 coriander roots

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves

1 Birdseye chilli

1 tablespoon ground white pepper

3-4 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons palm sugar

Method:

Crush together the garlic, coriander roots and leaves, chilli, white pepper, fish sauce and palm sugar – either in a mortar and pestle or in a food processor.

Rub the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate for 3-4 hours – longer if possible. (Why not do this before you leave for work in the morning? The flavours will be intense by dinner time.)

Brush pieces with oil and barbecue for about 15 minutes until golden brown and thoroughly cooked through.

Serves 4

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