Imis Yellow Thai Chicken
A nice tamarind-based chicken. Ideally, use a mortar to make the dish, but a food processor works well too.
A nice tamarind-based chicken. Ideally, use a mortar to make the dish, but a food processor works well too.
- for for curry paste as required
- 1/2 whole red chilli corsely chopped
- 2 whole cloves garlic corsely chopped
- 1 whole onion corsely chopped
- 1 whole lemon grass sliced
- 1 2.5-cm piece fresh tamarind flesh only
- 1 teaspoon shrimp paste as required
- 1 teaspoon sea salt as required
- for for sauce as required
- 150 milliliters chicken bouillon as required
- 1 tablespoon tamarind paste as required
- 1 teaspoon sugar as required
- 100 milliliters coconut milk as required
- 1/2 whole papaya peeled and thinely sliced
- 2 whole chicken breast chopped
- 1/2 whole lime
- Carbohydrate 72.9653062378884 g
- Cholesterol 146.112330064254 mg
- Fat 23.1774383158607 g
- Fiber 3.38803582386729 g
- Protein 69.0287929404802 g
- Saturated Fat 12.2519854785255 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (530g)
- Sodium 1797.03863121407 mg
- Sugar 69.5772704140211 g
- Trans Fat 1.8915286464322 g
- Calories 765 calories
Step-by-step
- Put red chilli, garlic, shallots, lemon grass & turmeric in a mortar, add the shrimp paste & salt, pound to a paste, add water to make mixture smooth and pasty.
- Pour chicken stock into a wok and bring to the boil, stir in the curry paste and bring back to the boil if mixture has switched to a simmer
- add tamarind juice/paste, sugar and coconut milk
- add the thinly sliced papaya and diced chicken meat, lower to a simmer and cover for 20-25 mins or till the chicken meat is thoroughly cooked, stir the mixture frequently.
- uncover pan and allow the mixture to boil off any excess liquid.
- stir in lime juice and transfer to a warm dish to serve, garnish with lime slices.
Tamarind is the structural backbone of this dish. Its concentrated organic acids react directly with raw proteins, initiating a mild tenderizing effect on the chicken breast even before heat is applied. Extracting fresh tamarind flesh requires patience. Work the pulp through a fine mesh sieve with a splash of warm water to remove stubborn fibers and seeds before incorporating it into aromatics. Mechanical processing changes the final texture significantly. Using a heavy granite mortar and pestle ruptures cell walls more completely than a motorized food processor. This friction releases essential oils from the lemongrass and releases capsaicin from the red chili. The resulting paste has a clinging, fibrous consistency that coats the wok rather than dissolving immediately into the broth.
Managing Texture Through Simmering
Simmering raw poultry alongside unripe fruit demands careful thermal control. Maintain the liquid at a gentle bubble around 90 degrees Celsius rather than a violent boil. Excessive heat tightens muscle fibers in the chicken breast prematurely, rendering the meat chalky and dry. Papaya introduces structural complexity. Thinly sliced papaya contains pectin that softens slowly under acidic conditions. Cover the wok with a tight-fitting lid for exactly 22 minutes. This duration allows the papaya to yield just enough to absorb surrounding liquids without disintegrating into mush. Uncover the pan during the final three minutes to evaporate surface moisture. This reduction concentrates the coconut milk fats and thickens the sauce into a glossy glaze.
Leftovers develop deeper complexity as starches cool and rebind overnight. Store the finished curry in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. Reheat the portion gently over medium-low heat with two tablespoons of added water to reconstitute the sauce without splitting the coconut emulsion.
- If the curry tastes overly sharp, balance the acidity by adding palm sugar or brown sugar in half-teaspoon increments.
- Thin the paste with additional warm chicken stock if the mixture thickens too quickly before the chicken finishes cooking.
- Keep the lid slightly ajar if the liquid fails to reduce adequately during the final uncovered boiling stage.
