Gai pan tod klua

(Thai-style fried chicken with salt) made by Thai Chef Kawesri Viroj from the Sawasdee Saigon Restaurant in HCM City

Chef Kawesri, a specialist in Thai cuisine, says gai pan tod klua, or fried chicken with salt, is a simple, easy dish to make, requiring little prep or cooking time.

Lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves are the two decisive elements that give this dish its fantastic aroma, while the saffron adds a yellow-brown colour to the chicken. The dish can be served as a main course or as a starter or hors d’oeurve.

Gai pan tod klua

Ingredients: to serve 4

• 500g farm chicken
• 50g chopped crosus
• 100g lemongrass
• 2tsp salt
• 1tsp pepper
• cooking oil
• 10g kaffir lime leaves, well shredded
• 2tsp monosodium glutamate, like granule bouillon

For decoration

• 1 carrot (carved into flower shape)
• 5 cherry tomatoes, halved
• A few greens
• 1 cucumber (cut into a round shape)

Directions:

• Chop chicken into small pieces
• Marinate the chicken with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, saffron, salt, granule bouillon and pepper for five minutes.
• Heat cooking oil in a frying pan, toss the marinated chicken pieces in the pan and fry them four or five minutes until they turn golden brown and are aromatic.
• Set the chicken pieces in a dish and garnish with carrot, tomato and cucumber flower or leaf shapes.

You can enjoy this dish at Sawasdee Saigon Restaurant, 102-104 Le Lai Street, in District 1, HCM City. For reservations, call (08) 925 7777.

Source VietnamNews