This recipe was inspired by Saveur magazine, although made quite a few substitutions due to the fact I was drinking a Caged Alpha Monkey beer while I was cooking. Watch out for that stuff.
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 cloves garlic, chopped
6 inches of lemongrass, minced
1 three-inch piece of fresh ginger, chopped
1 teaspoon red curry paste
six large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
bamboo skewers, soaked in water for two hours
In the food processor: process oil, sugar, salt, garlic, lemongrass, ginger and red curry paste until it is a paste.
Cut chicken breasts into strips: about 1/3 inch thick, about an inch wide and about three inches long. As you cut them, lay them on a cutting board, cover them with a sheet of plastic wrap, and gently bounce a hammer up and down on them until they are slightly flattened. Toss them into a big bowl. When all the chicken is cut and pounded, combine chicken strips with the paste. Then thread the chicken onto the end of a bamboo skewer, knitting the skewer through the chicken. This process takes a little bit of time, hence the beer.
Chill four hours.
Then grill until the chicken is cooked all the way through (165 degrees, although it is hard to get a good reading on such a thin piece of chicken. Just sayin’.)
Serve with peanut sauce. Or some other sauce that makes you go yum! 🙂
Peanut Sauce
1 1/2 cups roasted UNSALTED peanuts
6 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar (more to taste)
1 Tablespoon Sriracha chili sauce (more to taste)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste)
1 13.66 ounce can coconut milk (Hey, that’s what it said on the can.)
In a food processor: process peanuts until finely ground.
Add brown sugar, garlic, Sriracha and cider vinegar. Process until very finely ground.
Transfer to a small pot and add coconut milk. Cook, stirring, until consistency of pea soup. Adjust seasoning to your taste.
I also like this sauce on beef, pasta, rice and potatoes. Yum!
Amanda Usen 