Tasty Thai chicken in pandanus leaves

By Mary Winata

JAKARTA (JP): This Thai-style fried chicken is a feast that will definitely satisfy your appetite. It has a very tasty flavor and its pandanus leaf wrapper emits a mouth-watering aroma. This popular fare is good when eaten by itself or with a sweet, sour or spicy sauce.

Chicken fried in pandanus leaves * 100 g chicken meat, diced * 50 pandanus leaves * 4 cloves of garlic, finely crushed * 2 shallots, finely chopped * 1 tsp ginger, finely chopped * A pinch of salt and white pepper * 1 tsp lemon grass, finely chopped * 1 tsp finely ground chili * 1 tsp coriander root, finely chopped * 3 tbsp sweet soy sauce * 2 tbsp fish soya sauce, or 2 tbsp soya sauce * 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce * 2 tbsp cooking oil * juice of 2 Sunkist oranges

Chili sauce * 1 tbsp finely ground chili * 1 clove garlic, finely crushed * A pinch of salt * 1 tbsp white vinegar * 3 tbsp tomato sauce * 1 tbsp sugar * 200 ml water * 1/2 tsp corn flour mixed with 1 tbsp water

(Makes 10 servings) 1. In a large bowl, combine chicken meat and all other ingredients. Mix well and set aside for 6 hours. 2. Gently wrap a few pieces of chicken meat in a pandanus leaf. Repeat the procedure with the remaining chicken meat. 3. Heat cooking oil in a frying pan and deep fry the wrapped chicken until cooked through. Remove from oil and place on absorbent paper. Serve warm with the chili sauce. 4. For chili sauce: Combine all ingredients except corn flour mixture, cook until it simmers. Add corn flour mixture and stir until the sauce thickens.

-- Mary Winata is a Chinese cookbook writer and this recipe, which is originally titled Ayam Goreng Gaya Thai, is contained in her book Variasi Hidangan Ayam published by PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama, Jakarta.