Lemongrass tamarind chicken
November 19, 2009 • Hello. I am currently out of the country and unable to respond to comments and e-mails. Rest assured, however, that future posts have been scheduled so new recipes will go live almost everyday during my absence. I'll be back soon with lots of stories and photos. Ciao for now! ~ ConnieIt is curious how one finds the basic sweet and sour dish in the cuisine of every Southeast Asian country. We Filipinos have our escabeche; the Thai have their Pad Preow Wan Kai (they even have a name for their sweet and sour sauce — Nam Jim Priao Wan); the Malaysians have a cooking style known as Masak Branda / Belanda which, according to Bee of Rasa Malaysia, applies to eggs as well as fish; and there’s this Vietnamese sweet and sour chicken dish with lemongrass and tamarind. A testament, I suppose, to the migratory life of the Chinese of long ago while searching for the proverbial greener pasture.
I’m sure there are so many other variations of the basic sweet and sour dish across countries and cultures and it’s really exciting to learn that by substituting indigenous herbs and spices, the dish is magically transformed while still retaining its basic characteristics. I’ll try them all eventually. For now, let me introduce you to this wonderful Vietnamese sweet and sour chicken dish.
Serves 4 to 6.
Ingredients:
- 12 chicken thigh fillets, about 800 grams, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
- 3 tbsps. of fish sauce
- 2 heaping tbsps. of brown sugar
- 2 red chili peppers, finely chopped
- 2 green finger chilis, finely sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- freshly ground pepper
- 2 stalks of lemongrass (white part only), finely sliced
- 4 tbsps. of vegetable cooking oil
- 3 to 4 tbsps. of tamarind extract1 or paste2
- 1/2 c. of chicken broth
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced (or one red bell pepper, cored and diced)
- Vietnamese cilantro (sometimes called Vietnamese mint) or cilantro, to garnish
In a bowl or resealable plastic bag, place the chicken, sugar, fish sauce, chilis, garlic, pepper and lemongrass. Mix well and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Heat the cooking oil in a wok or frying pan. Strain the chicken and lightly brown in the hot oil. Add the carrot slices (or diced bell pepper) and cook for another 30 seconds.
Pour in the marinade, broth and tamarind extract (or paste). Stir well. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot with rice.
Notes:
1Tamarind extract is the juice extracted from strained boiled fresh tamarind.
2Bottled tamarind paste is available in the Oriental section of some supermarkets.
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Yay, Connie, you made me crave for Thai food! Good thing there is a reliable resto here in Los Baños!
intriguing… can i use the sinigang sa sampalok mix instead?
Kahit wala, Gay, pwede lutin sa bahay.
Chexy, YES. hehehehe
oh my oh my!! i am checking your blog this morning just thinking what to cook for lunch. i am so lucky i have all the ingredients i need for this recipe. magluluto ako! for sure taob na naman ang kaldero.
maraming salamat po!!!
more powers!!!
Vietnamese food is one of my favourites, so I’m very excited about you trying out (and sharing!) these recipes. I might have missed it, but have you tried making Vietnamese beef stew yet?
Not yet, Rose, but since that’s my husband’s favorite (he always orders the beef stew when we go to Pho Hoa), it’ll turn up here sooner than later.
You know what, Connie? This is something that I really like in your blog—learning a new thing
each and every time I read about your cooking adventures. Even if I don’t get to cook the dish immediately, I get to savour the background behind the dish… like in this instance, you related that the Southeast Asian dishes share some connected nuances. Thanks again, Connie!
I love learning new things, Crisma, whether food related or philosophy related… anything.
For me, a day without learning at least one new thing is a wasted day.
Kaya nga siguro ako drawn to you and your blog, Connie. Both of us are life-long learners. And as a teacher, I think, the cycle is completed with being an enthusiastic learner as well. I agree with you completely— ” a day without learning one new thing is a wasted day.” Thanks again!
Hi Connie,
thanks a lot for sharing all these cooking styles..natatakam ako dito sa luto mo..
i’ll try this one tomorrow using the sinigang mix dahil wala akong nakikitang tamarind paste dito sa spore…drooling now…