Gai Tod - Thai Fried Chicken

I am sure once you try this recipe, you are hooked for life! Unlike other fried chicken recipes, that requires you to do complex steps, this one is basic and with minimal ingredients and the results are just crazy.

You may ask, how can you say that something can get crispy without those extra steps. Well, we have a hero here! It’s RICE FLOUR, such a game changer! The marinated chicken is coated in the rice flour..and oh boy!! The chicken always turns out so crispy and delicious that I am salivating just while I type this down.

The marination requires very minimal ingredients, I have used basic ones like soy sauce, you may use light and/ dark soy sauce, completely depends on you. Some people use fish sauce and/ oyster sauce for that added umami flavor, but again it’s optional. All ingredients are almost always available in every Asian Kitchen, this is definitely a must try!

Ingredients:

8 pieces Chicken with Skin on
7-8 Garlic Cloves, chopped
Coriander roots ( rinsed well and chopped)
1 tsp Cumin powder/ cumin seeds
2 tbsp Soy sauce
Rock Salt, as required
1/4 cup Water
1/4 tsp Red Chilli flakes
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1 cup Rice Flour
Vegetable Oil for frying

Instructions:

In a chopper, add garlic, coriander roots, cumin powder, soy sauce, rock salt, and water .
Onto the cleaned chicken, add the marinade and add other ingredients like red Chilli flakes and turmeric powder.
Allow to marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Coat the marinated Chicken pieces in rice flour well and deep fry the Chicken pieces in vegetable oil on medium high flame for around 20 minutes. *
Serve hot garnished with crispy fried shallots, sweet Chilli sauce and rice.

Notes: *

Do not flip the chicken immediately after adding the chicken to hot oil. Allow it to stay and then flip after 5 mins, so that the coating stays intact.

Keep an eye on the chicken, so you may require to increase/ decrease flame as and when required.

Do try this recipe and don't forget to share your experience/feedback with me here in the comments or feel free to send me a mail. Also, do tag me at #taystedit if you try out my recipes on Facebook, Instagram etc so that I can see when you make it. ♡♡♡♡

Street Food Style Easy Thai Stir-Fried Rice

Who doesn't like easy recipes to cook for weeknights or a spontaneous late lunch when you feel like it. I love such recipes. This is definitely one among the lot that I cook often to content my Thai cravings. Thai food has a special place in my heart, I would explain it as the amalgamation of my native Kerala cooking and my favorite Chinese cuisine. And when it combines, it is simply the best.

I say it has some connection to do with Kerala cooking because of the coconut milk (which is used predominantly in most of the Keralite dishes), then the palm sugar (which is pretty much the same as Jaggery (bellam), then the bird's eye chili which our very own Kanthari mulaku which is super hot and has many health benefits which is commonly used both in Keralite dishes as well as Thai food. And Indo-Chinese food I just lurrrveeee. So now you know how much I love Thai food. Its a flavor explosion in your mouth. No kidding!

I have always longed to try Thai food, like I said if you have been following me being bought up in Dubai I have been able to try and blend with all the varieties of cuisines in the world. Always very blessed for that. Alhamdulilah.

So one fine day, years back, me and my family were on a wait to go to our favorite family restaurant "Emirates Seafood". Noticing the queue we were totally disappointed and we were really hungry. Right next to this restaurant we find an eatery saying Thai food. We were muddled if it was the best time to try a totally new cuisine. As a very ardent food lover, I very well knew the renowned items to order. Oh boy! Was I super delighted to try the food? Finally found food for the soul, it was so heartwarming, so homely, so DELICIOUS! Ever since I never missed a chance to have Thai food.

Okay, enough of the intro! Moving along now. Thai rice is normally cooked using Jasmine rice, but here since I was craving Thai food so badly and didn't have any Jasmine rice in the pantry Basmati rice was my go-to solution. It pretty much did the job, which means you guys may try it this recipe with Basmati but Jasmine is the authentic one.

Thai Street food comes with a parcel of a flavor-boosting condiment called the 'Prik Nam Pla' (Chillies in Fish Sauce). This is the BOMB that you have to try with this fried rice, it simply takes you on a flavor ride and makes you want for more. It is a combination of garlic, fish sauce, red chilly and lemon. The tangy spiciness is out-of-the-world good.

Disclaimer: This isn't the authentic Thai fried rice recipe, adapted to my choices and resources available. So please make sure, even if you don't have any Thai ingredients you must have the fish sauce in your pantry which is the main ingredient that gives the amazing flavor. If you don't have one, go get one! It is super useful.

I was so hesitant to buy fish sauce initially, wish someone told me earlier, wondered what I could do with it, but Thai food is all about fish sauce, you can make Tom Yum soup which is the bestest soup (will post the recipe once I make it soon), Thai Rice noodles (recipe is sitting in the drafts will post soon in sha Allah), etc.

For the protein in this dish, you may use chicken/ prawns, I have used both. This rice has an orange-pinkish brown shade to it because of the oils from the prawn.

This Thai fried rice is not only delicious, but it is also super easy, as it is a stir fried rice it is done so fast on high heat, within minutes your lunch is served. All you need is some fish sauce and all the other ingredients, I am sure pretty much all the households must have it! This rice smells amazing, I am already drooling thinking about it.

A plate of this Thai Stir-fried rice right from the wok with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of Prik Nam Pla.. is DELECTABLE.😋

Let's get started!

Ingredients:

For the Thai Stir-Fried Rice:

2 cups day-old/ 2 cups cooked Basmati rice/ Jasmine rice
2+1 garlic cloves chopped finely (2 for sauteeing and 1 for the sauce mixture)
200 gms tender chicken breasts sliced and marinated in salt and pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper powder
10 -12 shrimps/ prawns deveined and cleaned
2 eggs
1 small carrot chopped
10-12 french beans chopped
1/3 cup sweet corn
2 tsp sriracha sauce (optional)
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
1 garlic clove (chopped finely)
A pinch of sugar
2 tbsp green spring onions chopped
1/2 tsp Black Pepper Powder
Salt as required

For Prik Nam Pla (Red chilis in Fish sauce):

1-2 tsp sriracha sauce (optional)
3/4 tsp red chili flakes / Red bird's eye chili 3-4 (I substituted red bird's eye chili with red chili flakes)
3 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 lemon juice
1 tsp soy sauce

Instructions:

Cook 2 cups basmati rice (cooking method here - tips for cooking Basmati Rice at the end of the page) and set aside to cool.
Combine the ingredients under Prik Nam Pla in a bowl and set aside for the end.
In a bowl mix together soy sauce, fish sauce, sriracha sauce, garlic cloves, and sugar.
In a wok or skillet, pour vegetable oil and saute the garlic cloves until fragrant.
Now, add the sliced chicken pieces that have been marinated and sautee for about 4 minutes and add the prawns and saute for about 3 minutes.
Next, add 1/2 cup rice to the sauteeing chicken and prawns so that the rice soaks up all the juices from them.
Move aside the rice mixture and add the eggs one at a time and scramble them adding some salt.
Now set aside this egg mixture and in the same pan stir fry the veggies- carrot, beans, sweet corn and lastly the green onions on high heat for about 2-3 minutes or until just done. The veggies should be crisp.
Combine the egg, chicken, prawn, and veggies and add the rice in batches and pour in the sauces prepared earlier (soy sauce, fish sauce and sriracha sauce) and stir everything on high heat.
Serve hot with the Prik Nam Pla condiment, a lemon wedge and sprinkle a pinch of pepper powder.
Your delicious Street Food Style Easy Thai Stir-Fried Rice is ready! Enjoy!