Kai yang

A butterflied chicken pressed flat and grilled slowly bone-side down for most of the time.

Chicken. Not vegetarian — contains chicken, fish sauce, oyster sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, about 1.6 kg
• 8 coriander roots
• 1 head garlic
• 2 teaspoons white peppercorns
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 200 ml coconut milk

Method

1. BUTTERFLIED AND PRESSED FLAT, then grilled BONE SIDE DOWN for three quarters of the time. The bones conduct the heat gently through the meat while the skin stays out of the fire; turned early and often, the skin burns long before the thigh is done.
2. Cut down either side of the backbone with shears and remove it, then press hard on the breastbone until it cracks and the bird lies flat. Push a skewer through each side to hold it.
3. CORIANDER ROOT, WHITE PEPPER AND GARLIC pounded together is the base of this and of half the savoury dishes here. Roots, not stems and not leaves -- they are earthier and they do not burn.
4. Pound them to a paste with the peppercorns, then mix in the fish sauce, oyster sauce, palm sugar, turmeric and coconut milk.
5. Work it under the skin as well as over it. Marinade on the outside alone chars off in the first ten minutes.
6. At least 4 hours, overnight if possible.
7. Medium heat, not fierce. Bone side down, 25 to 30 minutes, with the lid down or a tray over it.
8. Turn ONCE, skin down, for the last 8 to 10 minutes, and watch it continuously. The sugar and coconut in the marinade take it from gold to black fast.
9. It is done when the juice at the thigh joint runs clear and a skewer meets no resistance.
10. Rest 10 minutes, then chop through the bone into pieces. Serve with sticky rice and a sour dipping sauce.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Thailand · All recipes