Chicken in Pandan Leaves, “Kai Hor Bai Toey”

Marinade

• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
• a large pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons rice flour
• 1 fresh pandan leaf, chopped small.

Mix the sauce ingredients, and cut about half a pound of chicken breast meat into largish bite sized pieces, and marinade in the sauce for about 2-3 hours.

The pieces of chicken are then wrapped in the leaves: this can be done in several “elegant” ways, but the simplest is to form a square of leaf, put the chicken in the center, pick up the corners and secure with a wooden toothpick.

Sauce
The sauce is a variation on the popular prik dong (pickled chilis): mix two tablespoons of sugar in 5 tablespoons of rice vinegar, and in a small saucepan reduce this to about half its volume. Add a pinch of salt and a couple of tablespoons of finely sliced mixed Thai chile peppers. Transfer to a suitable serving bowl and allow to cool.

The wrapped chicken is steamed (in any available steamer) for about 10 minutes, after which time the leaves should be soft, and then deep fried in hot oil until the chicken is fully cooked (takes a couple of minutes).

Serving
This is essentially Thai finger food: you can eat it by holding the pandan leaf and taking the piece in your mouth, or use the toothpick to pick it up, or of course use chopsticks or western style table utensils. You can if you prefer keep the steamed parcels in the fridge until you are ready to heat and serve.