My second contribution to AFF Indochina is a Laotian recipe: Ping Kai. It’s also called Kai Yang in Thailand but essentially the recipe is brought over to Thailand by the Lao people too. This is a very popular street food you can find pretty much anywhere locally, often paired with the tam mak hoong (Lao version of Green Papaya Salad) and sticky rice. Ping Gai literally means roast chicken or barbecued chicken, and here the chicken is coated with an aromatic marinade for hours before grilling over low heat over charcoal. I don’t have the luxury to run a fire at home so oven it will have to be.

I’ve never used Coriander in a marinade before and not surprisingly, it’s super refreshing and delicious. There are many versions of this recipe. A lot of people use a combination of soy sauce, fish sauce and sometimes oyster sauce. Well, oyster sauce is something that no longer exist in my household so fish sauce with soy sauce (liquid aminos, rather) it is for me.

Recipe adapted from BigOven.com

500g Chicken Drumsticks

Marinade:
bunch Fresh Coriander
3 cloves Garlic
1 tbsp Black peppercorns
1 tablespoon Fish Sauce
1 tablespoon Soy sauce (I used Liquid Aminos)
1 tablespoon Coconut oil

Dipping Sauce
1 tablespoon Honey
2 sprigs Fresh Cilantro
1 cloves Garlic
1 tablespoon White vinegar
1 tablespoon Lime juice (I used lemon juice)
1 tablespoon Sriracha (I used Homemade)
1 tablespoon Fish Sauce

Put the washed coriander (including stems and roots) into the blender/food processor with garlic, black pepper, soy sauce, fish sauce and oil, and blend until smooth.

Place chicken in a large bowl and pour over the marinade to coat all over. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for at least a few hours or overnight in the fridge.

Dipping sauce: Combined everything (except coriander) and stir until honey dissolves. To get rid of the rawnesss of the garlic, cook on stove for a few minutes until mixture thickens, then stir in the coriander when it has cooled down. Taste for seasoning and set aside until ready for use.

Preheat oven to 200C, place chicken drumsticks on baking tray and cook for about 20-30 minutes until skin is nicely brown and chicken is cooked through. Serve warm with dipping sauce.

I was glad to have some extra because while it was tasty freshly made, it tasted even better the next day! I love the subtle zing of the coriander along with the umaminess of fish sauce. The dipping sauce is tangy and spicy, which is a perfect match. I will definitely make these again!

I am submitting this post to Asian Food Fest – IndoChina hosted by Kelly Siew Cooks.