Supatra's Lemongrass Chicken Recipe (Gai Tod Takrai)

Lemongrass is often used in big pieces for flavoring dishes, but for this Thai recipe it's heavily bruised so it can be eaten along with the chicken. Both the lemongrass and garlic become darkly caramelized and richly flavored during cooking.

Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Cut off the woody tops and bottoms of the lemon grass. Remove the outer 2-3 layers of the stalk and cut the tender middle section into 1 inch lengths. Bruise the lemongrass by hitting it with the back of a Chinese cleaver or pound it in a mortar and pestle.
  2. Combine bruised lemon grass, chicken thighs, garlic, black pepper, ground Thai chili, palm sugar, salt, and fish sauce in a bowl. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
  3. Heat a wok over medium-high heat and add the peanut oil, swirling to coat the entire surface. Heat the oil for 1 minute and add the marinated chicken mixture. Stir-fry for 15 minutes (the chicken and sauce will thicken and become caramelized). Remove from heat and serve with cold cucumber slices, lettuce, and jasmine rice or sticky rice.

Serves 4.

Recipe copyright Supatra Johnson © 2004, all rights reserved. Used with the kind permission of Supatra.Image © 2011 Piyachok Thawornmat/123RF.com.

Crying Tiger: Thai Recipes from the Heart

Crying Tiger: Thai Recipes from the Heart

Features 130 easy Thai recipes, over 200 b&w photos, along with a guide to ingredients and equipment used in Thai cooking, and a special section on Thai cooking for kids!




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