Tom Yum Chicken Skewers

 

I was inspired by all things Thai this week as I had initially planned to make a quick trip to Bangkok but ended up cancelling plans as there’s still so much to unpack and clear after our move back to Singapore. So while unpacking the boxes that had recently been shipped over, I’ve been thinking about all the decadent street eats I was missing out on. Needless to say that unpacking while dreaming of food is highly unproductive. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

My only consolation for now is that I’ll be in Tokyo this time next week. Yipee! So excited to try out a gazillion ramen, tonkatsu, sushi  and the exotic Japanese-French pastries there! There are so many dishes to try that it’s mind-boggling. Where does one begin? Any tips on what to eat and do in Tokyo would be much appreciated.

Anyways, where was I? Oh! that cancelled trip to Bangkok and my thai food hallucinations. These grilled chicken skewers were a result of those and a newly acquired bottle of Nam Prik Pao from Golden Mile Complex. Thais use this chilli paste for tom yum soups, fried rice, sandwich spread etc. It’s an excellent multi-tasking paste that I highly recommend adding to your thai pantry. The complex flavours in the paste- sweet, sour, salty, smoky, do all the work for you and in a few hours you’ll have juicy and super tasty chicken skewers reminiscent of the exact flavours from your favourite thai soup- Tom Yum. No need to add a dozen ingredients- just mix this magical paste with a three other pantry items- fish sauce, lime juice and honey. The extra hint of umami from the fish sauce and freshness from lime juice help enhance the flavours and thin out the chilli paste to a manageable consistency. Though the thai chilli paste already has some sugar, I’ve added honey to help with the caramelisation when grilling. And you can tell from the slightly charred , crispy bits on the meat that these are going to pretty phenomenal. 

Enjoy with some shredded cucumber and carrot salad, coconut quinoa ‘rice’ and a bottle of ice cold beer. You could add some sriracha sauce for dipping but the meat is flavoursome enough.  Perfect for a fuss-free weeknight meal or summer bbq!

• Servings: 2-3, about 10-12 skewers
• Time: 6hrs+ 30mins
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Juicy, thai-inspired chicken skewers for an easy, quick weeknight dinner or a summer bbq

Ingredients

• 900 grams- 1 kilogram skinless, boneless chicken thigh meat
• 2-3 heaped tablespoons thai chilli paste (Nam Prik Pao น้ำพริกเผา) I used Mae Pranom Brand
• 2-3 tsp fish sauce/ soy sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• juice of 1 lime
• metal or wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes to prevent them from burning

Method

1. Cut chicken thigh into 1 inch pieces without removing the fat
2. In a small bowl, throughly mix thai chilli paste, fish sauce, honey and lime juice. In a large container (to be used for overnight marination), mix chicken pieces with chilli paste mix thoroughly and leave in refrigerator to marinate over, or for at least 3-4 hours.
3. Bring marinated meat to room temperature before draining and threading meat pieces on skewers.
4. Over a hot griddle pan or outdoor grill, grill meat skewers until cooked, about 1-2 minutes each side. No basting required as the fat is enough to keep meat from sticking to grill. Best enjoyed when just off the grill.