How to make Thai favourite lemongrass chicken stir-fry

Spend less time spent salivating over the stove and more time eating this delicious curry, says Prudence Wade

Wednesday 09 August 2023 06:30 BST
Comments
This Thai-inspired dish can be on the table in 30 minutes
This Thai-inspired dish can be on the table in 30 minutes (Kris Kirkham/PA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

I know with absolute certainty why this dish is a big-hitter on the School of Wok YouTube channel,” says chef Jeremy Pang.

“Like many Thai curries and stews, it’s bold in flavour, but it can be cooked in a fraction of the time it takes for some of the slower-cooked recipes.

“That means less time spent salivating over the stove and more time to eat. This fierce stir-fry will make your mouth water and your guests’ too – if you haven’t picked it all out of the wok before they arrive!”

Lemongrass chicken

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into large chunks

1 tbsp chicken stock or water

½ white or brown onion, finely sliced

2-3 lime leaves

Handful of Thai basil leaves

Vegetable oil

For the curry paste:

3 spring onions, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed, bruised and finely chopped

½ thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

½ thumb-sized piece of turmeric, peeledand finely chopped (swapsies: 1 tsp ground turmeric)

5-6 lime leaves, finely chopped

½ tsp salt

For the sauce:

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp fish sauce

½ tbsp palm sugar

50ml chicken stock

Method:

1. Pound the paste ingredients together using a pestle and mortar, adding them one at a time, or blitz them in a food processor to form a smooth paste (you may need to add a tablespoon or so of water).

2. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.

3. Place the chicken pieces in a bowl. Mix one tablespoon of the curry paste with the chicken stock or water and massage it into the chicken.

4. Build your wok clock: start at 12 o’clock with the marinated chicken, followed by the rest of the curry paste, the onion, the sauce, lime leaves and lastly the Thai basil leaves.

5. Heat one to two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok on a high heat until smoking hot. Add the marinated chicken and sear for a minute without moving, then fold the chicken over to sear on the other side for another minute or so. Once the chicken has a nice crisp edge and is fully browned, push it to the side of the wok. Add the curry paste to the centre of the wok, then the onion and fold the chicken over the mixture to incorporate and prevent the meat from burning. After about a minute, the onion should start to wilt. At this point, increase the heat and allow the wok to smoke before pouring the sauce around the edges of the wok. Bring to a vigorous boil, fold the chicken through and stir-fry for one to two minutes. Add the lime leaves and Thai basil leaves to finish and serve immediately.

‘Jeremy Pang’s School Of Wok: Simple Family Feasts’ (Hamlyn, £22).

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in