Ching's red Thai chicken skewers
We're getting into BBQ season so Ching has a Monday night Asian-inspired recipe that will go down well with all the family this summer!
(Serves 2-4)
Equipment:
10 Bamboo skewers – each 18cm (7inch)
Ingredients:
For the marinade:
1 tsp Thai red curry paste100ml full fat coconut milk1 tbsp palm sugar or demerara sugar1 tbsp dark soy sauce400g skinless, boneless chicken breast
For the salad:
2 heads of gem lettuce leaves, stalk removed, leaves separated and teared by hand1 bag of ready to eat salad leaves, baby spinach, rocket, watercress mix½ red onion, sliced into half moon slices½ cucumber, sliced in half, into half moon slices
For the dressing:
2 tsp fish sauceJuice of 2-3 limes (depending how much juice they have)2 tbsp palm sugar or demerara sugar2 tbsp extra virgin olive oilPinch of saltPinch of ground black pepper
Garnish:
1 red chilli, sliced on the angle1 lime, sliced into wedges
Method:
Place the bamboo skewers in a tray of cold water to soak
For the marinade, mix the Thai curry paste, coconut milk, palm or demerara sugar and soy sauce together
Prepare the chicken by slicing into thin wafer slices at an angle, making sure each piece is similar size. Place into the marinade and toss and coat well. Keep covered in the fridge and marinade for 15 minutes.
For the salad, prepare the ingredients by laying the gem and salad leaves on a large sharing serving plate. Decorate with red onion and cucumber pieces. Keep covered and set aside in the fridge.
For the dressing, pour the fish sauce, lime juice, palm or demerara sugar, oil and salt and pepper in an empty jar with a lid. Shake well to mix and set aside.
Remove the chicken from the fridge. Remove the skewers from the water. Thread the chicken on the skewers making sure they are all equal in size so they will cook in the same time, and the meat on the skewer is not too compacted to ensure even cooking. Place on a plate. Drizzle and brush some rapeseed oil over the meat, this will help them cook on the griddle.
Heat a griddle pan or barbecue. Using tongs, place the skewers onto the griddle pan. Cook for 1 minute and then turn over. Cook for another minute. To check when the chicken is cooked, remove one skewer and slide the meat off the skewer, if it comes off easily and is opaque white all the way through, it is cooked. Continue to cook if the meat is still pink. Remove the skewers from the grill.
Remove the salad from the fridge, pour some of the dressing over the salad, save some to pour into a small dipping bowl. Place the skewers over the top of the salad and dress with the reserved dressing. Garnish with chilli slices, and extra limes. Serve immediately.
NB. You can also serve with your favourite dipping sauces. The zesty dressing or freshly squeezed lime juice works perfectly to balance the heat from the Thai red curry paste and coconut milk.