Gai Yang with Rice and Cucumber

Lemongrass-garlic grilled chicken thighs with jasmine rice, crisp cucumber and a lime-tamarind dipping sauce.
Prep: 45 min · Cook: 25 min · 4 servings
Equipment: Barbecue or ridged grill pan; mortar or spice grinder

• 700g boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 240g dry jasmine rice, plus 8g for toasted rice powder
• 400g cucumber, sliced
• 15g garlic, crushed
• 20g tender lemongrass centre, very finely chopped
• 10g coriander stems, finely chopped
• 2g ground white or black pepper
• 20g light soy sauce
• 25g fish sauce, divided
• 18g brown sugar, divided
• 10g neutral oil
• 30g lime juice
• 20g ready-to-use Thai tamarind paste, not undiluted concentrated extract
• 30g shallot, finely diced
• 1g chilli flakes, or to taste

1. 1

   Combine the garlic, lemongrass, coriander stems, pepper, soy sauce, 10g fish sauce, 10g sugar and oil. Coat the thighs and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The stated prep time includes this minimum marinating time; overnight marinating is also possible.

2. 2

   Cook the 240g rice according to its packet. Toast the separate 8g raw rice in a dry small pan over medium heat for 4–5 minutes until golden, then cool and grind finely with a mortar or spice grinder.

3. 3

   For the dipping sauce, dissolve the remaining 8g sugar in the lime juice, tamarind and remaining 15g fish sauce. Stir in the shallot and chilli. Add 1–2 tablespoons water if needed to make a spoonable sauce; stir in the toasted rice powder just before serving.

4. 4

   Heat a barbecue or ridged grill pan to medium-high. Lift the chicken out of its marinade and discard the raw marinade. Grill for about 6–8 minutes per side, turning and lowering the heat if the exterior darkens too quickly. Work in batches if needed and check each thick piece reaches 74°C.

5. 5

   Rest the cooked chicken for 5 minutes, then slice. Divide the chicken, rice and cucumber into four portions and serve the dipping sauce separately. Nutrition includes all marinade ingredients as a conservative estimate, although some are discarded.

Storage & reheating

Cool cooked food promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours at 4°C or below. Keep cooked chicken for up to 3 days. Store cucumber and sauce separately and use within 2 days. Cool the rice within 1 hour, refrigerate separately and use within 24 hours; reheat it only once until steaming hot throughout. Freeze the main dish for up to 2 months for best quality; thaw overnight in the fridge. Freeze cooked chicken without cucumber or sauce. Reheat the main dish until every part reaches 74°C, stirring or turning halfway. Add the cold cucumber and dipping sauce after reheating.

Substitutions

Boneless thighs make this a practical adaptation of grilled Gai Yang. An oven at 200°C conventional / 180°C fan can replace the grill: roast for about 20–25 minutes and check for 74°C internally. Soy sauce may contain wheat; fish sauce contains fish. Strong concentrated tamarind needs dilution according to its label.

Estimated nutrition per serving

563 kcal · 41g protein · 64.4g carbs · 14.9g fat · 2.1g fibre.

Calculated from measured ingredients using generic composition estimates. Brands and portion sizes change the result. Optional additions and substitutions are excluded.

Storage guidance: USDA leftover guidance · FSA rice guidance