Roasted Carrots with Mint Lemon Dressing

Last week we had a heat wave that lasted five days of hot, dry, Santa-Ana windy weather above 95 degrees. We were dying over here, so to make it bearable we ate lots of blackberry mojito pops. That’s how to cool down and freshen spirits in style! But mojito pops wasn’t all that we nourished on, especially when Spring vegetables are plentiful and perfect. We’re always trying to find balance and variety in our diet. If we indulge in cocktails, we make sure to add some carrots for health.

Tender spring vegetables are such a welcome treat to the table. It’s when vegetables are their sweetest and wonderful when eaten raw. But sometimes we overload on a batch of a single vegetable that sometimes we have to get creative to recycle some of the overload of produce sitting in the fridge. Consider carrots one of them. It’s hard to not pass up a gorgeous and perfectly crisp bunch of carrots at the market. Just looking at them in their fresh, green-topped, glory makes us feel a bunch of hungry bunnies.

For a quick vegetable side dish we roasted some carrots and added a variation of one of our favorite lemon parsley dressings, but this time with mint. Spring and mint pair so well together, so it made sense all around to serve these delicious roasted carrots with our easy mint lemon dressing.

We love this dish and it’s going to be a great side salad to our wood-fired oven menu. Yes, finally! After seven years of planning and researching, we’re finally building a traditional wood-fired oven! Friends, please excuse us, we’re geeking out over here. You all have no idea how long it’s taken us to plan this epic project. It’s not just any wood-fired oven, it’s a traditional one that’s brick laid in France. It’s going to be a part of our new outdoor wood-fired oven kitchen where we’ll attempt to make (and not burn- just char a bit ;)) wood-fired breads, pastries and roasts. Pizza, of course is included!

We’ll be sharing up dates on our wood-fired oven progress. Fingers crossed it’ll come out straight and not crooked! In the meantime, hope you are enjoying Spring, glorious produce and this awesome roasted carrot recipe.

hugs,

diane and todd

Yield: Serves 2-4

Total Time: 30 min

Cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of your carrots.  If you decide to roast whole carrots that are thick, add additional cooking time. If you decide to slice your carrots, check them often to make sure they are not over-roasted. Please read post for additional recipe details and photos.

1 bunch carrots (about 1 pound), washed and ends trimmed1 Tablespoon olive oilKosher salt or sea salt to tastefresh cracked black pepper to taste3 Tablespoons olive oilZest 1 medium lemon2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice2 teaspoons brown sugar1 teaspoon dijon mustard1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt, or to taste1/4 cup chopped fresh mintPre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.Toss the carrots with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer carrots to a roasting pan or sheet pan and roast in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until carrots are tender.Add all the mint lemon dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk together well.When carrots are tender, transfer them to a serving platter or bowl and toss with the mint lemon dressing.Serve warm or cold.

View the original article here

Meyer Lemon Pound Cake

I am so glad that I am back in Penang, that means I can hangout with my girlfriends CP Choong (also my baking guru on Rasa Malaysia) and Craft Passion (super-talented craft blogger). I met up with them and  told CP Choong to share new baking recipes on Rasa Malaysia, while I am on vacation eating around Penang and enjoying my kitchen days off.

This amazing looking and uber delicious Meyer Lemon Pound Cake is her creation. Since it’s springtime in the United States, and spring is meyer lemon’s main season of fruit production, this recipe is sure to please many people, if you love pound cake and  the exotic great taste and aroma of meyer lemon.

What’s more, she made a killer meyer lemon glaze for the pound cake…now that’s sinful and I am sure you just want to pick up a piece, or two or three pieces of this meyer lemon pound cake from your screen.

Other than this recipe, I also have two other pound cake recipes here and here and Rasa Malaysia. Enjoy!

View the original article here

Meyer Lemon Magic Custard Cake for Breakfast

The Winter Olympics are here and we’re trying our hardest to sneak in as much spectator time as possible, on television, that is. There’s so much that we love about the Olympics, but it’s the personal stories that make watching the events so special. We all have our dreams to pursue and to see someone be able to live their personal dream by just being in the Olympics is so inspiring.

It’s hard to not be drawn to each Olympians personal commitment and story to why they love what they do so much. And it’s also about understanding their personal drive, un-faultering commitment and obsession to their sport. We’re always cheering for for our favorites, even when we scream so loud that it scares the pups. Go Team USA!

On the topic of obsession, we’re not ready to let go for obsession with our magic custard cakes and adoration for homegrown citrus. It started with a craving for blood orange buttermilk pound cake and a blood orange gin and tonic (recipe soon). Then we started picking some meyer lemons from our tree and it all wen’t downhill from there. It’s a citrus addiction, we tell ya. Citrus therapy, please.

We were wanting to make another batch of magic custard cake for breakfast (it’s great with coffee) and had a basket of meyer lemons on the counter. So rather than making the traditional vanilla version, we wanted to experiment with some fresh meyer lemon zest and juice, hoping for a brighter flavor on our original one.

This meyer lemon magic custard cake version is just as delicious as the vanilla version, but not as sweet. It’s lifted with the floral and sweet essence of meyer lemon, along with the bright citrus notes of meyer lemon that make it super special.

Serve up a slice for breakfast along with a cup of your favorite coffee. It’ll start your morning in a simple, lovely and delicious way. The custard cake has enough egg in there, so it’s the perfect partner to your morning meal.

Enjoy Breakfast. And Go Team USA!

Diane and Todd

Our love of meyer lemons is endless and last year we even made a video of it. Here it is again to reflect on our love of lemons.

Yield: One 8"x8" Cake

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Adapted from our original Magic Custard Cake. Click here for the recipe.

Temperatures for the ingredients are important here. Not too warm to cook the eggs before baking, and not cold either. You can use either confectioner's sugar or regular sugar, use the same amount by weight but the volume will be different. If you use regular sugar, 150g will equal 3/4 cup.

A few more notes on making the cake: When adding the milk, we found it easier and less messy to gently hand whip them in instead of using the stand mixer. It is a very liquidy batter, and for us it splattered everywhere even at the slowest speed. For folding in the whites, it is done with more of a gentle whisk/folding motion with the whisk since the batter is so runny. The whites will look a little curd like after mixing them in, just try to mix/fold them to the point where there is no big chunks. Because of the custard-like center, when fully baked, there will be a bit of a jiggle, but not a sloppy jiggle to the cake when gently shook. Same after is has cooled. That's about it. Have fun and every time we've made the magic custard cakes, going into the oven we don't think they will work correctly, and after baking they are magically perfect.

1/2 cup (113g) unsalted Butter2 cups (480ml) Milk4 Eggs, separated4 drop White Vinegar1 1/4 cups (150g) Confectioner's Sugarfinely grated zest from 2 Meyer Lemons1 Tablespoon (15ml) Water1 1/4 cup (156g) all-purpose Flour1/4 cup (60ml) fresh Meyer Lemon Juiceextra confectioner's sugar for dustingPreheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly butter or grease a 8"x8" baking dish.Melt the butter and set aside to slightly cool. Warm the milk to lukewarm and set aside.Whip the egg whites and vinegar to stiff peaks. Set aside.Beat the egg yolks, confectioner's sugar, and meyer lemon zest until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the melted butter and the tablespoon of water for about 1 minute or until evenly incorporated.Mix in the flour until evenly incorporated. Slowly beat in the milk and lemon juice until everything is well mixed.With a whisk, fold/gently whisk in the egg whites, 1/3 at a time. Repeat until all of the large egg whites chunks are broken up and folded in.Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-60 minutes or until the top is golden. Allow cake to completely cool before cutting and then dust with confectioner's sugar *see Note 1.

Note 1: For faster cooling you can place the cake in the fridge. Even after fully cooled, it will still be slightly jiggly

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Lemon Mustard Parsley Dressing

Now everyone, don’t bum-rush to the kitchen all at once now because I know you’re super excited about another brussels sprouts recipe. Or at least I’m hoping you’re as hungry and excited as I am. And if you’re not, you’re probably one of the brussels sprouts haters that can’t stand to re-live those terrible toddler moments when your parents force-fed you boiled brussels sprouts. Am I right? or am I right?

Because of all you brussels-sprouts-haters, I’ve made it a life long mission to keep developing different versions in the hopes that one of these recipes will turn you over to the loving side. Or at least that is my hope. A girl can only dream of a brussels-sprouts-loving world.

I was hungry for a vegetarian lunch a few weeks ago and after a few salads, I was hoping to really bite into something flavorful, or at least chow down on a big bowl of roasted-something. The only thing that made sense and which I had all the ingredients for in the garden and on-hand were, you guessed it, brussels sprouts. Gosh, I’m so predictable sometimes.

Rather than dress it up with my simple balsamic vinegar or fish sauce, I was craving for something a little more tangy, zingy, fresh, herby and citrusy.

All those adjectives brought these ingredients to mind: Bright flavors of lemon zest and juice, tangy-roasted, balsamic vinegar, zingy mustard and herbaceous parsley. Perfect.

Lunch was served. And literally, these roasted brussels sprouts were our full, delicious lunch. The wonderful flavors of the lemon mustard parley dressing could not have been more satisfying and best of all, the dressing is now a favorite for an everyday salad.

So, did I succeed on this recipe? Will you now head on over to the brussels-sprouts-loving side?

Enjoy,

diane

Yield: Serves 2-4

Total Time: 1 hour

Another favorite way to serve up brussels sprouts. First roasted up with a quick marinade, then tossed with an herbed lemon mustard dressing before serving.

about 1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts3 Tablespoons olive oil1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar2 cloves of garlic, minced or crushedkosher salt or sea salt, to tastefresh cracked black pepper, to taste2 Tablespoons olive oilzest of 1 medium lemon2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice1 teaspoon dijon mustard1/2 teaspoon brown sugar1 cup italian or flat leaf parsley, mincedadditional salt and pepper to tastePreheat oven to roast at 375°F. Lightly oil a sheet pan.Peel the outer, bruised layers of the brussels sprouts off.  Trim the ends, then cut brussels sprouts in half or quarters (for small brussels sprouts, cut them in half, and for large brussels sprouts,  quarter them for more even cooking).In a large bowl, whisk together the roasting marinade ingredients: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and black pepper. Then add the brussels sprouts and toss to coat evenly.Spread the brussels sprouts, cut side down, on the prepared sheet pan. Roast in oven for 15 minutes, flip the sprouts to cut side up, then roast for 10-15 minutes more or until browned.While the brussels sprouts are roasting, make the dressing: Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, dijon mustard, brown sugar and parsley. Set aside.When brussels sprouts are cooked, toss them with the dressing and season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

View the original article here

Happy Birthday Lemon Bundt Cake Recipe for Bountiful Cookbook

We’re celebrating a birthday today! Our cookbook, Bountiful, is finally released and we can give a big exhale to the last year and a half of writing, photographing, recipe developing and eating-till-we-drop.

In the cookbook, we actually don’t have any cake recipes, however for this occasion, we made cake.  A lemon bundt cake for Bountiful, our 3.7 pounds and  10.6 x 8.5 x 1.3  inch baby. We learned so much over this process of cookbook-making. First off: don’t try to eat everything you make because you’ll quickly feel how tight your pants will get. Find some neighbors to pass the goodies to. Make friends with your mail man. What ever you do, find good-eaters. They are as important as your recipe testers. Secondly, regardless of what topic you’re writing about, try to incorporate a cocktail recipe in there, some how. Trust us, after hours editing the manuscript, recipe details, conversations and photo editing, you’ll NEED that evening inebriation.

So do we have cocktail recipes in Bountiful too? Of course we do. Seven, to be exact.

Now the next stage starts: meeting all of you who we kinda-know-but-really-don’t. How odd it is to tell our parents that we’ll be traveling the country to meet our friends that we’ve never met before. This is the internet life, no doubt.  It’ll be fun to finally meet up with all of you who have supported us through the years on the blog.

If you’re free, stop by one of our signings and give us a hug. We want to see your purty faces.

Every single one of you have a special place in our lives. This blog wouldn’t be as rewarding without you. And the book? Bountiful? We’ll we wouldn’t have had the inspiration to make it without your support and encouragement.

Thank you a million times for making our lives so incredibly inspired and fulfilling.

You all mean so much to us. And in the meantime, here’s a slice of a wonderful and tender bundt cake for you all.

Happy Day!
Todd, Diane, Sierra and Lexi

Here’s the latest date and cities we’ll be visiting. Come hug and eat together.

Where to buy the book online? Here’s also a list of some great independent bookstores in your area. Please support them! And you can visit our Book Signing/Tour Page Here.

Amazon
Indiebound
Book Larder, Seattle
Book Soup and Vromans, Los Angeles
Kings English, Salt Lake City, Utah
Powells Books, Portland, Oregon
Barnes and Nobles

Yield: one 12-cup Bundt Cake

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

This is not a recipe from our cookbook, we didn't have any in Bountiful. However the occasion needed a cake and this is an insanely moist and tender bundt cake. Easily the best we've ever eaten, let alone made. Because of its moistness, the batter probably won't work in a regular pan, the center will fall in, however in a bundt form it is perfect. It also works great to divide between a couple smaller forms instead of the larger 12-cup bundt form. The recipe is adapted from Shirley Corriher's Bakewise, "Take-Your-Breath-Away Lemon Pound Cake". Like Shirley mentions in her book, the key to the incredible texture comes from whipping the cream before adding it to the batter. She also recommends baking the bundt forms on a pre-heated baking stone in the oven. We have the Emile Henry stones at home and the studio and love them.

2 3/4 cups (345g) flour1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt1 1/4 cups unsalted butter3 cups sugar1/3 cup canola oilzest from 4 large lemons1/4 cup fresh lemon juice1 tablespoon vanilla extract6 eggs1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream1/3 cup (80ml) fresh lemon juice1/2 cup (100g) sugar1 cup confectioners sugar1 teaspoon vanilla extract2 tablespoons heavy creamPreheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 12-cup bundt pan or 24 fluted brioche tins.In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt for at least 20 seconds. Set aside.In a mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes (if the bowl does not feel cool while creaming, place it in the freezer for 5 minutes, then continue creaming).Beat in the oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. On the lowest speed, beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just incorporated.Mix in the flour mixture in three stages, until just combined.Whip the cream just past the soft peak stage. Stir in about 1/4 of the whipped cream into the batter, and then fold in the remaining whipped cream. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan (or brioche tins). Drop the pan from about 4" above the counter to knock out any bubbles.Bake on the middle oven rack for 50-60 minutes (about 20 minutes for small tins), or until a toothpick comes out clean near the center. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then loosen the cake by knocking it against the counter. Invert the cake onto a serving platter.Stir together lemon glaze ingredients (if needed, heat them briefly to help dissolve the sugar). Brush on the hot cake until all of the glaze is absorbed. After it has cooled, if serving within a day or two continue to final step, or if serving later in the week, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve (keeps 4-5 days wrapped in the fridge).On the day you are ready to serve (or the night before), take the bundt out of the fridge to come up to room temperature. In a bowl, whisk together the icing ingredients, adjusting the cream or confectioners sugar amount to make the icing fairly thick but pourable, not too runny. If the icing is close to the thickness you want, but still a touch too thick to pour, warm it slightly and it will become more fluid until it cools off (perfect for icing the bundt cake). Drizzle the icing over the top of the bundt cake and serve.

View the original article here

Lemon Cream Cake

This week, my contributor CP Choong is back with a beautiful cake—lemon cream cake. Have you seen a better looking cake? As a non-baker, this lemon cream cake is probably one of the best looking cakes I have set my eyes on. So much so that I just wanted to grab it from my screen and eat it. It was baked with a swirl shape bundt pan and it was simply gorgeous!

Anyway, this is basically a butter cake with a little twist, using the French Genoise technique, which means that the cake is made using the sponge cake method and butter is added towards the end, unlike the traditional creaming of butter and sugar first. Cream is also used in the recipe so the cake is moist.

As its name suggest, this lemon cream cake is flavored with lemon zest from three lemons and some lemon juice, infusing the cake with a very nice citrusy and lemony aroma, which is enticing to the taste buds. If you love cakes, I think this lemon cream cake recipe will be great for you and your family. The prep time is only 30 minutes and the ingredients are simple, everyday ingredients. You just have to get a bundt pan if you want your cake to look as pretty as the pictures here.

Happy baking and have a good weekend!

(Click Page 2 for the Lemon Cream Cake Recipe)

Pages: 1 2

View the original article here

Meyer Lemon Crinkle Cookies

I love a really good cookie. Though I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, I appreciate and savor every bite of dessert that my palate can tolerate. And though I’m not capable of eating too much, I’m always searching for a great recipe that can satisfy my two to three bites of sweet joy.

And what do I mean by a really good cookie? I know everyone has their criteria on what they expect out of a cookie, so having an open discussion here is always fun to see what you expect in your next warm batch. I don’t consider myself a cookie-snob, though I’m known to be very frustrated if I pay $3.50 for a mediocre cookie in a bakery!

What I love out of cookies are great texture, chew and flavor. We’ve previously written about one of our favorite granola cookies and now I found this on recipe on Pinterest and I’m so blown away by it’s flavor because I love meyer lemon and the flavor really shines in this cookie. It’s so excellent that I actually inhaled 4 cookies in one sitting. And for me, that’s an eating feat.

I found this popular lemon crinkle cookie recipe on Pinterst and it was made my Lauren of the lovely Lauren’s Latest blog. Thanks to Pinterest, I’ve been finding some really fabulous recipes, including my last magic custard cake and when I found Lauren’s cookie recipe few months ago, I’ve been equally obsessed over it.

Finally, I reminded Todd about it and he immediately dived into the kitchen to bake up a batch with our garden meyer lemons. He’s a great guy and why I cherish him so much is that he loves to bake cookies. I’m good at finding the recipe and eating them, so we’re we’re a perfect match!

The verdict is nothing but applause for Lauren’s recipe. I’m sending you all a big word of caution because if you love lemon cookies, if you love meyer lemons and if you’re a lover of snickerdoodles, you will find yourself stuffing yourself silly with these lovely cookies. They’re soft and chewy, similar to the texture of a snickerdoodle, but with the bright flavors of meyer lemon and delicate aroma of powdered sugar. We’ve adapted it a bit to suit our taste and our meyer lemons. But you can refer to her original recipe or use our version with the meyer lemons.

I’m confident this recipe will be making it’s appearance at our Summer dinner parties because they’re that good!

Enjoy,

diane

Our cookbook, Bountiful, is available for pre-order on Amazon! & we shared a post about it here.

Yield: 24-36 Cookies

Total Time: 30 min

Adapted from Lauren's Latest Lemon Crinkle Cookies. The cookies have a soft interior texture with a slightly crisp exterior given to it by rolling the cookies in confectioners sugar before baking. Their texture reminds us of one of our favorite cookies, our Snickerdoodles, but with a lemon flavor. Adjustments to Lauren's original recipe were made to suite the sweeter taste of the meyer lemon and to our own personal preferences. Make sure to check out her original recipe as well. It's fantastic.

1 1/2 cups (190g) Flour1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt or Kosher Salt1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder1/8 teaspoons Baking Soda1/2 cup (113g) unsalted Butter, softened1/2 cup (110g) packed Brown Sugar1/2 cup (100g) Sugar½ teaspoon (3ml) Vanilla Extract1 Egg1 teaspoon (5ml) Meyer Lemon Zest (@ 1 meyer lemon's worth)2 Tablespoons (30ml) fresh Meyer Lemon Juice1/4 cup (30g) Confectioners SugarPreheat an oven to 350°F. Line a couple sheet pans with parchment paper.In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda for at least 20 seconds. Set aside.In mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract, egg, meyer lemon zest, and meyer lemon juice until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again to make sure everything is incorporated.Stir in the flour mixture until just combined, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to get all of the flour.Sift the confectioners sugar onto a large plate. Form the dough into 1 inch sized balls (a 1/2 oz. cookie scoop works perfectly to help make balls). Roll the balls in the confectioners sugar then place 2 inches apart on the lined sheet pans.Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies just begin to turn light golden and the tops of the cookies look matte (no longer shiny or wet looking). Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

View the original article here

Lemon Chicken

I created this lemon chicken recipe earlier this year for a client and have since been making it quite a bit at home. Mr. Rasa Malaysia really likes the taste of the dish: chicken pieces deep-fried to golden brown with a light, refreshing, and addictive lemon sauce. He just can’t enough.

In my cookbook “Easy Chinese Recipes,” there is a similar recipe, but that version is mostly found in Chinese restaurants here in the US. This lemon chicken is a slight variation, which is more homey in my opinion. For the chicken coating, I usually use a basic combination of all-purpose flour and cornstarch. This will make sure that the chicken remains crispy and airy.

The lemon sauce should just lightly coat the chicken pieces so every bite of the chicken is complete with a crunchy texture, with a sweet, aromatic, and tart flavor from the lemon sauce. I also like topping the lemon chicken with some white sesame seeds. They immediately dress up the chicken with a nice presentation.

As with most Chinese recipes, this lemon chicken is just perfect with some warm and fluffy steamed white rice.

(Click Page 2 for the Lemon Chicken Recipe)

Pages: 1 2

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Grilled Lemon Basil Chicken

Grilled Lemon Basil Chicken - Viet World Kitchenwindow.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init( { apiKey: 'a279adbe87e2b3c505e777af99a5260d' } ); YAHOO.util.Event.onDOMReady( function() { FB.XFBML.parse(); } );};( function() { var e = document.createElement( 'script' ); e.async = true; e.src = document.location.protocol + '//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js'; document.getElementById( 'fb-root' ).appendChild( e );} )();Viet World KitchenHomeArchivesRecipe IndexVWK StoreClasses + EventsFavorite SitesAbout MePermission and CreditWelcome to Viet World Kitchen where I explore the culinary traditions of Vietnam and the rest of Asia. Join me to learn, create, and contribute!

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E-book release: 6/01/2011

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May 23, 2011Grilled Lemon Basil Chicken

My dear friend Linda came down from San Francisco for an impromptu lunch yesterday. I was too tired from having finished the Asian Tofu manuscript (hurray!) to make an elaborate meal for us. I needed something quick and easy. 

Linda loves big flavor and chile heat. My solution was in a lovely bunch of lemon basil (bai maeng-lak) that I’d purchased on Saturday from the Hmong vendor at our farmer’s market. If you’re not familiar with lemon basil, get a hold of some.

This is the fresh herb season and I typically overdose on lemon basil. Their delicate, light green leaves are slightly peppery with elements of lemongrass, basil, and mint. Lemon basil is not widely used in Vietnamese cooking as we have herbs such as kinh gioi and tia to. (See the Herb Primer for details.) However, lemon basil is used in other Southeast Asian cuisines. For example, the Thais employ it in soup with shrimp. (I recently it on a crostini topped with the sardine in spicy tomato sauce.)

With this latest bunch of lemon basil, I wanted to use lots of it to show off the herb’s wonderful flavor. This grilled chicken recipe hit the spot. It is similar to the Thai grilled chicken flavored with cilantro. If you don’t have lemon basil, try another herb, such as Thai basil, rau ram (Vietnamese coriander), or kinh gioi (Vietnamese balm).  Even regular Italian basil would work. The trick here is that the seasonings underneath the skin still remains bright and tasty.  Look at the little green bits in the top photo.

Additionally, I deboned the chicken thighs to allow the marinade to penetrate the flesh. That little bit of butchering makes grilling a snap. If you don’t debone the chicken, marinate for about 4 hours or overnight. Serve with steamed sticky rice and a salad.

Serves 4

6 large bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 pounds total)
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup lightly packed coarsely chopped lemon basil leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon canola oil
Thai Sweet Chile Sauce, homemade or purchased

1. Debone the chicken thighs. Use the tip of the knife blade to detach the flesh from the bone. Trim and discard any cartilage. Save the bones for stock, if you like. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and set aside.


2. In a mini food processor, grind the garlic, sugar, salt, and white pepper to a coarse texture. Add the basil leaves, fish sauce, and canola oil. Process to a fine texture, pausing the machine to scrape down the sides, as needed. Taste and it should have a strong flavor. Adjust things to satisfy your palate.

3. Transfer the marinade to the bowl of chicken. Use your hands to coat the chicken well. Make sure to peel back the skin to get seasonings between the skin and flesh. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

4. About 30 minutes before grilling, let the chicken sit at room temperature to remove some of the chill. Preheat a gas grill to medium or prepare a medium-hot fire. (You can also use a stove top grill on medium-high heat.)

Grill the chicken for about 12 minutes, turning frequently, until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and let sit for about 5 minutes. Slice the chicken into strips about 1/2-inch wide. Arrange on a plate and serve with the sweet chile sauce.

Related posts:

Thai Grilled Chicken (gai yang)Thai Sweet Chile SauceSardines in Spicy Tomato SauceVietnamese Herb PrimerPosted in Recipes: All, Recipes: Fast and Easy, Recipes: Gluten-Free , Recipes: Grilled, Recipes: Poultry and Eggs, Recipes: Thai | Permalink

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I just read your 'exceptional woman' interview and loved it. Your ideal 11 PM meal is exactly the same as mine, although I often sub in fish sauce. Your advice to first generation Asians is very inspiring. Thank you for those reassuring words.

Posted by:Xuanie |May 24, 2011 at 08:45 AM

Thanks, Xuanie! LOL.

Posted by:Andrea Nguyen |May 24, 2011 at 10:41 AM

What a lovely meal!! I am drooling at the flavors!

Posted by:Belinda @zomppa |May 24, 2011 at 11:52 AM

Funny, coz I use to do the same receipe with Rau Ram under the skin... doing like a pesto with Rau Ram, garlic, Nuoc Mam without oil (the chicken fat is enough). The trick is to grill for some time, put it back in the marinade, and back on the grill...

Posted by:Thanh Viet |May 24, 2011 at 12:56 PM

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