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
⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
½ cup lightly packed coarsely chopped lemon basil leaves
1 ½ 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 ½-inch wide. Arrange on a plate and serve with the sweet chile sauce.
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Xuanie
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.
Andrea Nguyen
Thanks, Xuanie! LOL.
Belinda @zomppa
What a lovely meal!! I am drooling at the flavors!
Thanh Viet
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...
Dave Weinstein
I made a variant of this tonight, based on what I had around:
Rau Ram
Mint
Kaffir Lime Leaf
Lemongrass
Coriander Root
Stevia leaf (instead of sugar)
Pounded the paste in the mortar and pestle, added fish sauce, and then rubbed it under the skin. Cooked the thighs with indirect heat in the Weber kettle (so, around 400-500 degrees, but the chicken was not over the coals) for 20 minutes. Crisp skin, the fat melted into and cooked the herbal marinade, and the chicken was tender. I left the garlic out, and the herbal flavor really came through nicely.
Andrea Nguyen
Nice Dave! Why you could put those herbs in the nasi ulam rice salad. Thanks for sharing. The tip with the Stevia is terrific.
christian louboutin sandals
Have always wondered: Why are spring rolls called spring rolls? Is it because they were served during the vernal season? Any ideas? This burning question has always plagued me!
Hong
Hi Andrea,
Is this lemon basil easy to grow indoors? I'm trying to grow more edible plants in our new apt because they're so pretty and practical! Any suggestion for other edible potted plants that don't attract lots of bugs would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
tasteofbeirut
Interesting recipe full of flavor! will try this variety of basil asap!
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Mr. Cooking Grill
Now that's a hearty meal. Thanks for sharing.
marlon
This grilled chicken recipe hit the spot. It is similar to the Thai grilled chicken flavored with cilantro.