Ginger chilli chicken on rice

I cannot claim this recipe as my own and instead I must admit that it is a specialty of the eldest of my two younger brothers, Tim.  He whips it up in the blink of an eye, fires up the BBQ and before you know it the air is filled with the aroma of lemongrass and kaffir lime.  And when in winter the rain drives you indoors then this is just as delicious pan fried as it is done on the BBQ.

Do not feel you have to serve this chicken as suggested below.  You could do a number of things with it including shredding it into a salad or into a bowl of noodles and vegetables.  You could also rub the marinade over a whole chicken before roasting it.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• Chicken
• 12 chicken thighs
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oil
• Few drops sesame oil
• 2 large red chillies, finely sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 2 stalks lemongrass, finely chopped
• 1 large knob ginger, grated (approx 2 tbsp)

• Carrot Salad
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into ribbons (I did this with a peeler)
• 1 cup mung beans
• ¼ cup coriander, roughly chopped

• Dressing
• 1 large red chilli, roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 lemon, peeled and deseeded so that only the flesh remains
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tbsp water
• 4 tbsp fish sauce

• --
• 2 cups basmati rice, cooked

Method

• Chicken
• 1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well to coat the chicken and leave to marinate for a least an hour or over night.
• 2. Cook the chicken on a hot BBQ.

• Carrot Salad
• 1. Combine the carrot, mung beans and coriander and mix to combine.

• Dressing
• 1. Place the chilli, garlic and sugar into a mortar and pestle and pound until a smooth paste forms.
• 2. Add the lemon flesh and continue to pound until once again smooth.
• 3. Finally add the lemon juice, vinegar, water and fish sauce and mix to a smooth sauce.

• To Assemble
• 1. Fill a little bowl with rice and gently pack so that it sticks together. Turn the bowl out onto a plate.
• 2. Add a handful of salad to the plate and then top with 2 chicken thighs and drizzle with the dressing. Serve immediately.