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Puerto Rico, Americas · Asopao de Pollo

Thai Coconut-Lemongrass Asopao

Puerto Rican sofrito chicken and rice stew meets Thai red curry, lemongrass and coconut milk in a fragrant Puerto Rican × Thai bowl.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time38 min
DifficultyMedium

Method

  1. Cut the chicken into 3 cm pieces. Chop the onion and red pepper into 1 cm pieces and mince the garlic and ginger. Bash the lemongrass with the back of a knife and cut it into 5 cm lengths; tear the lime leaves slightly along the centre vein so they release their scent.

  2. Heat the oil in a 22 cm pot over medium heat and cook the onion, red pepper, garlic and ginger for until soft. This is the sofrito of the asopao.

    Add in this stepVegetable oil 1 tbspOnion ½Red bell pepper ½Garlic cloves 3Fresh ginger 10 g

    medium heat

  3. Turn the heat up to medium-high heat, add the curry paste and fry for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add the chicken and cook for , until the outside is white all over.

    Add in this stepThai red curry paste 1 tbspBoneless chicken thighs 350 g

    medium-high heat

  4. Add the rice and stir for 1 minute, then add the stock, lemongrass and lime leaves. Bring to a boil on high heat, then lower to medium-low heat, half-cover and simmer for , stirring every 4 to 5 minutes, until the rice is soft and the broth has thickened.

    Add in this stepJasmine rice (unwashed) 100 gChicken stock 850 mlLemongrass stalks 1Makrut lime leaves 3

    high heat→medium-low heat

  5. Stir in the coconut milk, peas, fish sauce and palm sugar and heat on low heat for . Do not let it boil hard, or the coconut milk can split; it should only steam gently.

    Add in this stepCoconut milk 200 mlFrozen peas 60 gFish sauce 1 tbspPalm sugar or light brown sugar 1 tsp

    low heat

  6. Fish out the lemongrass and lime leaves, taste, and squeeze in the lime juice. Ladle into bowls and pile the cilantro on top.

    Add in this stepLime ½Fresh cilantro (coriander) 10 g

Cook's tip

Curry pastes vary a lot in heat, so start with less and add more at the end once you have tasted. Balance the salt with fish sauce and the sourness with lime at the very end. Lemongrass and lime leaves are there for aroma only; don't eat them.

Cooking it at camp

Chop the vegetables and aromatics at home and bring them in a zip bag; then it is an easy one-burner meal. Small cartons of coconut milk avoid leftovers. Keep the raw chicken below 5 °C in the cooler, cook it on the first day, and stir often on low heat so the bottom does not catch.