Grilled banana leaf parcels filled with butter-fried rice with chicken, chicken offal and dried spices, served with a sour-sweet coconut-base vegetable relish (ข้าวงบไก่ อาจาดอังวะ; khaao ngohp gai aajaat angwa)
1cupcoconut middle cream (กลางกะทิ)dilute coconut cream with water at 1:1 ratio.
1tablespoonfresh turmeric (ขมิ้นชัน)peeled and sliced
1teaspoonsea salt (เกลือทะเล)
1tablespoongranulated sugar (น้ำตาลทราย)
1tablespoon5% white vinegar (น้ําส้มสายชู)
2tablespoonsginger (ขิง)minced
1tablespoonwhite sesame seeds (งาขาว)roasted
Vegetables:
cucumber (แตงกวา)
shallots (หอมแดง)
Thai garlic (กระเทียมไทย)
yardlong beans (ถั่วฝักยาว)
For wrapping:
Banana leaf (ใบตอง)
Instructions
Prepare the banana leaf wraps or containers:
Lightly pass fresh banana leaves over an open fire until they soften. Choose a wrapping style, then cut the banana leaf to the appropriate shape. Set aside.
Marinate the chicken:
Cut the chicken meat into thin slices, and the chicken liver into bite-size pieces. Cut the chicken gizzard into very thin slices, as it tends to be chewy.
Roast and grind the white peppercorns and nutmeg seed until fragrant. Set aside.
Marinate the chicken for 20 minutes with salt and the ground roasted spices.
Prepare the fried rice:
Roast the Siam cardamom and clove whole until fragrant and set aside. Both are used whole and are not grounded. Set aside.
In a well-seasoned wok over medium-high heat, fry the marinated chicken meat in butter or ghee until it is halfway cooked.
Add the garlic and stir fry it until fragrant; don’t allow it to brown.
Sprinkle some water or stock into the wok to deglaze the wok before adding the whole spices.
Add the rice and fry it with the chicken until the rice grains are dry and evenly fried.
Taste and adjust the saltiness with fish sauce as needed. Set the fried rice aside.
Grilling:
Place two pieces of banana leaf on top of each other, keeping the waxy-shiny side facing out. Next, scoop out the mixed rice and place it on the banana leaves. Wrap the rice in banana leaves into equal-size parcels. You can make these parcels as large or small as you wish.
Grill the banana leaf wraps over low heat on a charcoal grill until the banana leaves char, and the rice develops a crust and absorbs the grill smoke.
Serving:
Place the grilled rice on a serving plate with sliced shallots, sliced cucumber, and yardlong beans. Garnish with thinly julienned ginger and coriander leaves. Serve alongside a sour-sweet coconut-base vegetable relish (อาจาดอังวะ; aajaat angwa)
Prepare the sour-sweet coconut-base vegetable relish (อาจาดอังวะ; aajaat angwa):
In a pot, heat coconut cream diluted with water. Add sliced fresh turmeric and simmer on low heat until the coconut cream becomes a golden yellow.
Season to a sour-sweet-salty profile. Add salt at the ratios indicated.
Add granulated sugar at the ratios indicated.
Add vinegar at the ratios indicated.
Allow the coconut to cool to room temperature before adding the rest of the ingredients.