Each month Evelyne invites us to explore the cuisine of a different country. So far this year we have visited Cuba in February and Ireland in March. I shared a recipe for Ropa Vieja that I made in the slow cooker and a recipe for Irish Stew that I made in the Instant pot.
This month, as we are visiting Thailand, my cooking vessel of choice was, of course, a wok. I love my wok and use it quite often. Not only for Asian foods but also when I am frying foods. It also makes a great paella pan.
I cook a lot of Asian food, but other than pad thai, not really much Thai food. So I went on a search and found a website called Real Thai Recipes. There were so many from which to choose. I was seriously drooling all over my laptop.
I finally narrowed it down by looking in my refrigerator and seeing a package of chicken breasts that I had bought for another meal that didn't get made. A search of chicken recipes made the site much easier to navigate and I finally settled on this Garlic Pepper Chicken.
I adapted the recipe slightly, reducing the amount of pepper in consideration for my husband who is spice sensitive. To be honest, this dish with the reduced pepper was a little bland. I blame it on the fact that I didn't season the chicken. I don't normally use salt in Asian recipes because of the sodium content in soy sauce. This recipe doesn't call for soy sauce. We ended up using soy sauce at the table and that helped immensely.
There was nothing not to like about this dish. The chicken was tender and juicy. The flavor though bland, was not unpleasant. I think perhaps just the white pepper was not enough all by itself. Maybe had I added the entire amount called for but I think it needed something with a little more bite. Frank and Melody liked it much better than I so maybe it is just personal preference.
I served it up with some steamed rice, adding in some frozen mixed veggies during the last 10 minutes or so of steaming time. There were no leftovers so I guess that speaks volumes.
I'm anxious to see what the others are sharing from their visit to Thailand. There are links to each recipe at the bottom of this post.
Garlic Pepper Chicken (Gai Pad Gratiem Prik Thai)
adapted from Real Thai Recipes
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 c. garlic cloves (about 12) smashed
3/4 t. sugar
1/2 t. white pepper
1 3/4 t. fish sauce
1 T. peanut oil
Heat the peanut oil in a wok over med high heat. When oil is shimmering add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly until light brown. Add the chicken and stir fry until no longer pink inside, 2-3 minutes. Add the sugar, fish sauce, pepper and 1-2 T. water. Stir to coat chicken and serve. Print Recipe
- Camilla: Thai One On
- Amy: Chicken Satay
- Evelyne: Thai Steamed Fish Recipe with Lime and Garlic Sauce
- Wendy: Gai Pad Gratiem Prik Thai
- Margaret: Shrimp Laksa - a light and luscious Thai Soup
- Loreto and Nicoletta: Thai Noodle Shrimp Spicy Salad
I love this event...and I love how our dishes vary so much. I didn't realize it until I read your observation: I rarely use salt in Asian dishes. I just never noticed.
ReplyDeleteI love exploring the world with this group.
DeleteSo true about using little salt usually in Asian dishes. And you know I often find some dishes bland but that is because we have a more exotic palate. The chicken dish looks really amazing!
ReplyDeleteIt never occurred to me that our palate is more exotic than those of other countries. I guess when I think exotic, my mind automatically travels to far off lands.
DeleteYum - any time a dish has a healthy amount of garlic, like this one, I'm in! Sounds mouthwatering. I'm sure another pinch of red pepper flakes or the equivalent would take it where you want it to go. How could it not be delicious with all that garlic?!!
ReplyDeleteI think a little more spice would have been welcome in this dish Margaret but the salt did a lot to help it out.
DeleteThis looks amazing Wendy! Great choice!
ReplyDelete