Charcoal Turmeric Gai Yang with Charred-Shallot Jaew

Method

1. Toast the coriander seeds and peppercorns in a small dry pan on medium-low heat for 1 min until fragrant, then grind them finely in a mortar. Add the garlic, coriander roots and stems, the thinly sliced tender part of the lemongrass and the turmeric, and pound to a smooth paste; stir in the fish sauce, palm sugar and half the coconut milk. Refrigerate the rest of the coconut milk for basting.

   Add in this stepCoriander seeds ½ tspWhite peppercorns 1 tspGarlic cloves 6Coriander roots and stems 12 gLemongrass stalks 1½Ground turmeric ½ tspFish sauce (marinade) 1½ tbspPalm sugar (marinade) 3 tspCoconut milk 40 ml

   medium-low heat

2. Butterfly the legs: on the inner (non-skin) side, cut along the bone so the meat opens flat, and slice the thickest parts at an angle so the whole leg is an even thickness. Make 2–3 slashes in the skin, loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers and push marinade underneath. Coat the outside too, cover and refrigerate for 12 h (overnight).

   Add in this stepWhole chicken legs on the bone (thigh and drumstick attached) 700 g

3. Make the khao khua and chilli powder. Toast the sticky rice in a dry pan on medium-low heat for 6 min, shaking, until deep brown; add the dried chillies for the last minute until crisp (they turn bitter if burnt). Cool, then grind the rice and the chillies separately to a coarse powder.

   Add in this stepUncooked glutinous (sticky) rice, for khao khua 1½ tbspDried red chillies 3

   medium-low heat

4. Light 1.5 kg of charcoal and wait until it is covered in white ash, then bank it all on one side of the grill to make a hot zone and a cool zone. Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead. Lay it skin side up over the cool zone, close the lid and cook (charcoal (medium heat)) for 25 min, turning once. At the same time, set the unpeeled shallots at the edge of the hot zone and grill until black outside and soft inside.

   Add in this stepShallots, unpeeled 1

   charcoal (medium heat)

5. Move the chicken over the hot zone and cook (charcoal (medium heat)) for 6 min, brushing with the remaining coconut milk and turning every minute, until the skin has charred spots and the thickest part near the bone reads 75 °C. If the fire flares, move it straight back to the cool side. Rest it for 5 minutes, loosely covered with foil.

   Add in this stepCoconut milk 40 ml

   charcoal (medium heat)

6. Peel and roughly chop the grilled shallots. In a bowl, dissolve the palm sugar in the fish sauce, lime juice and tamarind, then add the shallots, ground chilli to taste, 2 tablespoons of khao khua and the chopped mint. The jaew should taste boldly salty, sour, hot and just a little sweet.

   Add in this stepFish sauce (jaew) 1½ tbspLime, for juice 1Tamarind paste 1 tspPalm sugar (jaew) 1 tspMint leaves 5 g

7. Chop the chicken through the bone into 3–4 cm pieces with a heavy knife and serve with the jaew, sticky rice and raw vegetables such as cucumber, cabbage and long beans.