Barbecued chicken and spicy dipping sauce

Heavenly. Marinate overnight. This is the type of food I ate on holiday in Thailand. Every morning I walked from the hotel to the amazing food market by the Chiang Mai gate of the old city. Breakfast time, I passed many small vendors selling food. One of them was a couple with a half oil-drum barbecue where they sold barbecued pork with the following marinade. I have used it here for chicken. It is very good.

For the chicken

½ tsp	Salt
2 Tbsp	Coriander root, finely chopped, well washed
25 g	Thai palm sugar, grated
4	Garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp	White pepper, freshly ground
½ cup	Coconut milk
1 Tbsp	Soy sauce, naturally brewed
700 g	Chicken thighs, each cut into 3, lightly beaten with a meat hammer (Main)
1 handful	Bamboo skewers, soaked in cold water
½	Cucumbers, cut into bite-sized chunks
250 g	Cherry tomatoes, halved

For the sauce

½	Red chillies, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp	Ginger, finely chopped
1 clove	Garlic, finely chopped
3 Tbsp	Fish sauce
3 Tbsp	Lime juice
1 small handful	Coriander, finely chopped
1 tsp	Thai palm sugar, grated

Directions

To make the chicken

1. Put the salt, coriander root, sugar, garlic, pepper, coconut milk and soy sauce into a small food processor and process until smooth.
2. Put the chicken into a large mixing bowl and add the coconut milk mixture. Mix well and marinate overnight, or for a minimum of 1 hour.
3. Thread each piece of chicken on to a soaked skewer, shaking off any excess marinade.
4. Barbecue or pan-fry over moderate heat until well browned and cooked through.
5. Serve with cucumber and tomatoes and the following dipping sauce.

To make the sauce

1. Put everything into a small bowl and mix well so the sugar dissolves.

More Thai-inspired recipes from Ray

• Thai-flavoured skinless sausages
• Prawn and pineapple salad