Crispy Lemongrass Chicken

with green mango and papaya som tum, served with a sweet chilli sauce

A popular Thai street dish

South East Asia is renowned for its assortment of delicious street cuisine. Thailand is one destination that offers a balanced combination of salty, sweet, sour and spicy. Today I leave my friend Shannon Smerdon, cook up a popular Thai street dish, Crispy Lemongrass Chicken served with fresh som tum green papaya salad. Now you can add the flavours of Thai cuisine onto your menu at home.

Will Meyrick

people

minutes

Summary

Main Ingredients
  • 2 pieces (or 400 gr.) chicken thigh, boneless and skin on
  • cooking oil to fry
Following are the sub-recipes and the method, step by step, from preparing to dressing.

Chicken Marinade

  •  2 pieces large red chillies
  • 10 cloves garlic
  • 4 pieces shallot
  • 4 stalks lemongrass
  • 1 inch fresh turmeric, peeled
  • A pinch of white pepper
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce

Chicken Batter

  • 2 cups plain flour
  • 1 cup tapioca flour
  • 1½ – 2 cups sparkling water
  • ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • A pinch of salt

Som Tum

  • 2 pieces small green chilli (or as desired)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • A pinch of salt
  • Half of ripe tomato, sliced
  • 1 piece apple eggplant, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon fried dried shrimp
  • 2 tablespoons roasted peanut, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons palm sugar syrup
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
  • Fresh lime juice (from 1 piece lime)
  • 1 cup green papaya, julienned
  • 1 cup green mango, julienned

Som Tum is one of my favourite salad. Influenced by the Laotian tribes of Northern Thailand, I use to reinvent it in my restaurants. A suggestion, for a quick fresh lunch: Just add a boiled egg, some shredded roasted chicken, and you have a complete, tasty and colorful meal !

Will Meyrick

Sweet Chilli Sauce

  • 4 pieces large red chillies
  • 2 pieces red bird’s eye chillies
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 100 ml rice wine vinegar
  • 100 ml Heinz vinegar
  • A pinch of salt
  • ½ cup sugar

To make the sweet chilli sauce, roughly blend your large red chillies, red bird’s eye chillies and garlic.

 

Then combine it with the rest of the ingredients in the pan, bring to the boil and simmer until thickened approximately 15 – 20 

Will Meyrick

Garnish

2 coriander leaves sprigs 2 leaves Romaine lettuce 2 leaves Radicchio lettuce 2 cucumber sticks 1 lime wedge 1 teaspoon large red chilli, julienned A pinch of fried garlic

Step by Step Instructions

step 1 : marinade

Prepare your chicken marinade by pounding all of fresh ingredients into a paste and then add in the seasonings of white pepper, salt, sugar and fish sauce.

step 2 : marinate

Marinate your boneless chicken thigh in it overnight or for couple of hours.

step 3 : the batter

When the chicken is ready, prepare your batter by combining plain flour, tapioca flour and sparkling water and then seasoning with chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. The batter should be still in runny consistency.

step 4 : first fry

Heat your oil in the wok, meanwhile dip in your marinated chicken in the batter.

step 5 : fry until crispy

When the oil is hot enough, fry the chicken on a low heat to let the inside part cooked first before the outside part of the chicken gets burned.

step 6 : pat dry

Pat dry and rest for a while for the second frying.

step 7 : the som tum

While resting the chicken, prepare your som tum.

step 8 : som tum (pound)

Get a mortar and pestle, pound your small green chilli together with garlic (add a pinch of salt to help you breaking down the chilli and garlic).

step 9 : som tum (pound)

Add tomato slices and apple eggplant slices, roughly pound to let the juices comes out.

step 10 : som tum (mix)

Add in your fried dried shrimp, crushed roasted peanut, palm sugar syrup, fish sauce, tamarind pulp and fresh lime juice. Mix it through.

step 11 : som tum (mix)

Add in julienned green papaya and green mango at the end and lightly pound and mix well.

step 12 : second fry

Heat again your oil in the wok and fry your chicken one more time just before serving to keep it crispy.

step 13 : serving

Serve your crispy chicken on the side with garnish of a sprig of coriander leaf and sprinkles of julienned large red chilli and fried garlic. Serve also with sweet chilli sauce on the side.

กินให้อร่อย (gin hâi a-ròi)

Enjoy your Mama San’s favourite!