Thai "Tandoori" Chicken with Green Beans

As the thermostat keeps going up and it seems impossible to think of cooking anything. If you're like me the heat makes me feel not hungry, but this recipe will give anyone an appetite.

The way I write my recipes out is in the way that makes sense to me, which is to show the steps in order of how I prepare my meals. I like to show how you can save time between the steps and in the end I think this makes for the best meal. Timing as they say is everything. This applies to cooking as well.

Thai "Tandoori Style" Chicken with Green Beans

The Day Before - Making the curry paste marinade.

Curry Paste

You can easily buy a number of premade curry pastes that taste as good as anything you can whip up, except you won't be able to control the level of the spice, the amount of oil, or the quality of the ingredients. Curry paste tends to be cheap, so you could try several different brands until you find the one you like best or, you could follow this simple recipe.

You will need a mortar and pestle for this recipe. In fact, you cannot cook Thai cuisine properly without it. No kidding. I have tried and I can pulverise almost anything with a good kitchen knife. Two types of mortar and pestles are used for Thai cooking either a granite mortar with a matching granite pestle or a clay mortar with a wooden pestle. The accepted rule is for anything you have to smash into a pulp such as curry paste you use the granite version and for things you only "lightly bruise" such as the ingredients for papaya salad, you use the clay version.

A mortar and pestle are not cheap. I looked for ages for an affordable model and bought my granite mortar and pestle at an Asian restaurant supply store located on Place de Torcy (Paris 75018) because it was cheaper than the clay version (15,00 euros for granite as opposed to 27,00 euros for the clay).

I use it to make papaya salad, but pay special attention to not use too much force. I think overall the granite version is more practical for other cuisines that might call for a mortar and pestle this is the best option. I also use it to make my own green and red pestos for example.

Here are the two different types of mortars and pestles used in Thai cooking.




Granite mortar with granite pestle.


Clay mortar with wooden pestle.

Ingredients:

5 whole dried Thai chillies, seeded and soaked
5 shallots sliced
10 cloves garlic
1 Tablespoon galangal sliced
1 Tablespoon lemon grass sliced
1 Tablespoon kaffir lime rind finely sliced
2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro/coriander root
5 whole black peppercorns
1 Tablespoon ground roasted coriander seed
1 teaspoon roasted cumin
1 teaspoon shrimp paste







From left to right: Dried Thai chillies,Galangal,Kaffir limes, and Fresh Coriander

Coriander root, galangal, and Kaffir limes will be difficult to find outside of an Asian market that specialises in produce from Southeast Asia. I have tried substituing coriander stems, regular limes, and regular ginger but the taste is not the same.

If you don't have roasted cumin or coriander seeds this is simple enough to do. Simple roast the seeds beforehand in a dry skillet until they start to crackle and jump around. If you need the spices ground as part of the recipe, as you do with coriander seeds for this recipe simply dry roast them and grind them and spoon them into a small bowl.

Using lemon grass can be tricky. To prepare lemon grass for use in Thai cooking, remove the outer hard shell and cut off the straw-like end on top. For curry you use the green part of the stalk specifically, where for cooking you use the bulbous lower part and for soups you slice the entire length of the stalk into very thin rounded slices.

Preparation:

Pound cumin, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a mortar and pestle and spoon into a bowl.

Pound the chillies and the salt together then add galangal, lemon grass, Kaffir lime rinds, coriander roots, garlic, and shallots and pound well. Add the cumin, coriander, peppercorns, and shrimp paste to this mixture and pound until you have a well-combined paste.

Marinating the chicken.

I used 2 large whole breasts of chicken for today's meal. Whole breasts are breasts cut from the chicken and they are usually still connected. You can use any chicken you like whether it's pre-sliced breasts or the thighs and legs (with bone or without). Just keep in mind you will have to cook the chicken different depending on the cut of the meat.

Slice the two whole breasts starting where the meat is thickest into two inch strips, sprinkled them with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Meanwhile combine 2 Tablespoons of the curry paste with 1/4 of coconut milk and 6 Tablespoons of Fish Sauce. Make sure the coconut milk you're using is for cooking.

Pour the marinade over the slices of chicken making sure the pieces are entirely covered in the marinade in a shallow dish. Cover the dish with plastic cling wrap and leave in the fridge overnight. When you wake up in the morning, turn the pieces on to the other side, and return to fridge for another 4-6 hours.

The reason why I call this recipe Thai "Tandoori" is because Indian tandoori uses a similar method of combining spices in a liquid with active enzymes in order to give the chicken a tender and juicy texture. In the case of tandoori yogurt is used and in this recipe coconut milk replaces the yogurt and gives the meat a nice sweet taste.

Make enough jasmine rice to serve everyone a sizeable portion. When it comes to perfumed rice such as jasmine or basmati, I like to buy the broken rice they sell in bags. Not only is this rice generally cheaper, but because it's broken I find it becomes more fragrant when you cook it in a rice cooker.

While the rice is cooking, add enough oil to a frying pan to barely coat the pan. When the oil is just about to smoke, add a few pieces of the chicken and fry on each side until the chicken becomes "blackened". Make sure not to crowd the chicken or turn it too often else it will not blacken properly.

While the chicken is cooking prepare your green beans. If you can, use Thai green beans for a more authentic flavor. Simply cut off the ends and set aside.

Prepare about 2 cups of finely chopped fresh coriander and set aside for garnish.

After all the chicken is cooked, keep the heat high and saute the green beans in the leftover oil in the pan until they are cooked through but still have a nice crunch. Remove the green beans for the oil and add the last of the curry paste, frying and mixing the paste with the oil until the spices are fragrant. You'll know the paste is properly prepared because the spices will rise up with the heat and attack your nose!

Add 1/4 of coconut milk (for cooking) and lower the heat, stirring to mix the paste into the coconut milk evenly and remove from heat before it comes to a boil.

To plate, scoop rice onto a big plate, add chicken, green beans, and juice a fresh lime (Kaffir preferably, but regular limes are also okay) over the chicken and green beans. Pour the curry sauce over generously and garnish with fresh coriander.

Et voila! Authentic Thai food at home.

Here is the final product of today's cooking efforts. It was delicious!

Bon appetit!