Chicken in Pandan Leaves

It's a Saturday and we're home. It's time for us to prepare things as we will be going to a 2 week vacation in the PI next week. I'm so freakin' excited!! :) I will definitely blog about all the food that I'm going to eat when I'm in Bacolod, Dumaguete and of course, my lovely hometown, Davao City. :)

Back to my topic, I thought of making this Thai dish called, Gai horbaitoey, or commonly called  Chicken Pandan or Chicken in Pandan Leaves. It's a bit labor intensive, like the Pad Thai that I made on Friday, but I tell you, it's worth all the effort. :)


What you need:

• 400 grams chicken thigh fillet
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 stalk lemongrass, chopped
• 30-35 pandan leaves, washed and dried

Pandanus amaryllifolius

Sauce:

• 5 tbsp water
• 4 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 2 inches ginger, grated and squeezed

Guide: http://www.realthairecipes.com/recipes/chicken-wrapped-in-pandan-leaf/

Directions:

1. Cut chicken into 2" chunks.
2. Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Marinate chicken for 3-4 hours. Cover and keep in the fridge.
3. To make the sauce, dry roast the sesame seeds on a non stick skillet. Add the remaining ingredients for the sauce. Cook until it becomes thick. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. Prepare the leaf packets. You can view the instructions here. Alternatively, you can wrap the chicken just by rolling it up with a leaf.

a leaf packet

Safe and secure

5. Insert chicken pieces into the leaf packet. Secure with a toothpick.
6. Prepare a pan and fill with oil. Heat oil thoroughly before frying the chicken. Cook chicken for about 8 minutes or until brown.

7. Serve with sauce and warm rice.