Turmeric and lemongrass chicken with quick vegetable pickle recipe
The kind of dish I love – a spicy marinade, an easy accompaniment, chicken thighs cooked on a griddle. Small effort, big flavors.
Prep time: 15 minutes, plus overnight marinating | Cooking time: 20 minutes
SERVES
Four
INGREDIENTS
6 cloves garlic
Small bunch of coriander
20g turmeric root, peeled (prepared weight)
2 stalks lemongrass, white part only, finely chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp palm sugar or soft light brown sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
8 chicken thigh fillets
Groundnut oil, for cooking
For the vegetables
75ml rice vinegar
4 tbsp caster sugar
2 large shallots, finely sliced
2 red chillies, halved, deseeded and finely sliced, or 1 birdseye chilli
½ ridge cucumber, halved lengthways and very finely sliced
1 small slim carrot, peeled and very finely sliced
Chopped peanuts, to serve
METHOD
Put the thighs onto a piece of grease-proof paper, then put another piece on top. Bash the thighs to make them of a more uniform thickness. I use a rolling pin to do this.
Pound the garlic, coriander, turmeric, lemongrass and lime zest together in a mortar and pestle until you have a rough puree. Add the sugar and fish sauce. Alternatively, blitz everything in a food processor.
Put the chicken pieces in a dish and rub the paste all over them. Cover and put in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight.
To make the pickle put the vinegar and caster sugar into a saucepan with 50ml water and heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool then add all the other ingredients and put in the fridge for about six hours (it will last in the fridge for about a week).
Brush a grill pan with groundnut oil and place over a medium heat. Griddle the chicken thighs on each side, turning every so often, until cooked through (it should take about 10-12 minutes).
Serve with the pickle, offered in small bowls with some peanuts scattered on top, and rice.
