When we are at the farm in Thailand we have Thai BBQ Chicken every time, everybody loves it, On first glance it looks a little like a rip off of a certain high street chain but trust me when I say that our platter is born and raised in Esan, North East Thailand, the only thing that has been added is the Fries and that's is just because everybody loves them so why not, ooh and the coleslaw.
I wanted to tell you a little about how Thais like to eat BBQ chicken as it isn't how we tend to do it here in the UK but if you like to try something new you will fall in love with the simple ingredient that binds the whole dish together, Sticky Rice.
Chicken is Butterfly cut and marinaded in a sweet Oyster sauce, we like to add a little garlic also for extra flavour, once the chicken has sat for a few hours it's placed into a cage and placed over hot coals, you have to be sure that the coals are past the aggressive stage as the fat from the chicken will cause quite a fire and your bird will burn before it cooks, I learnt this the hard way on the farm with Yai and Da, (Nan and Grandad) having a laugh at the useless Englishman who cant cook a chicken over hot coals. In Thailand there doesn't seem to be to much pressure on keeping the meat tender but its the one adjustment we will make for our Thai BBQ Chicken, we like to use our super dooper oven to half cook our Chicken and then finish on the Chargrill, it keeps the meat Juicy but still gives the charred flavour.
Sticky Rice is the food of Gods and goes with chicken like love and marriage, unlike rice we are used to Sticky rice is as it sounds, Sticky. To enjoy like a Thai you just rip off a chunk, roll it in your fingers, dip in some kind of juice and eat, honestly its the best. Forget all the Thai dishes we cook every day, there is nothing more authentic than BBQ Chicken and Sticky rice.
Of Course Coleslaw and Fries are nothing to do with Thai BBQ Chicken and we have added to our platters just because we like them, there is however one thing that goes with Thai BBQ Chicken that is an absolute must and it is the dipping sauce "Nam Jim" Nartnapa makes her own, its chilli flakes, lime juice, coriander and a touch of fish sauce, from this place I want it on record that I have told you to proceed with caution, Nam Jim is properly spicy, it tastes incredible and for me is worth the certain dodgy stomach the next day, that sounds crazy I know but its how you have to roll if you are married to a spice mad Thai Chef. All of our team love Nam Jim and like a bunch of troopers are also willing to take the pain. If you are not willing to do this to yourself and we completely understand why you wouldn't then sriracha sauce is a great alternative, its still spicy but nowhere near as serious.
So Next time you are thinking of cooking BBQ Chicken and are reaching for the peri peri sauce, slap your wrist get the sticky rice on and prepare for the Nam Jim burn, once you have had Thai BBQ Chicken there is no going back.
I wrote this content as a little insight into Thai BBQ platters we are serving as a special in the Cottage Inn, Its got to be said that times are a little hard in Hospitality and with social media being so spread our customers are getting harder to reach, if you like or love us please subscribe to our site, just scroll to the bottom of any page and there we are.
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