Gai Yang & Nam Jim Jaew (Grilled chicken with dipping sauce)

Grilled meats are a Northern Thai speciality. Often, you’ll come across gai yang served alongside my favourite Som Tam (papaya salad) and Khao Niew (sticky rice). The dipping sauce is one of several Nam Jim sauces that are made in Thailand and at some point I’ll do a post just about sauces and condiments. Anyway, Nam Jim Jaew is the type of sauce that’s specific to grilled meats, there are several other varieties.


For 4 (snack) or 2 (main course) You’ll need:

• 2 chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and each cut into 4 strips


• 2 stalks lemongrass, top, bottom and outer layers peeled off and the rest very finely chopped (all the big supermarkets sell it fresh)


• 6 cloves of garlic


• a small handful of coriander stalks, or roots, chopped


• a big splash of fish sauce (nam pla- an easy supermarket find)


• a small splash of dark soy


• a big pinch of sugar


• a sprinkle of white (or black) pepper

In a pestle and mortar, bash up the lemongrass, garlic, coriander, pepper and sugar. Do it bit by bit if you need to. Add the rough paste to a bowl with the chicken. Pour on the soy and fish sauce and mix well. Leave it to marinade for as long as you can, ideally a few hours.


While marinading, make the Nam Jim Jaew sauce. You’ll need:

• 1 level teaspoon of white rice


• 4 red birds eye chillies


• 2 cloves garlic


• a few stalks and leaves of coriander, very finely chopped


• a pinch of sugar


• juice of 1 lime


• a good splash of fish sauce


• a very small splash of dark soy sauce

Start by dry frying the small amount of rice in a really hot wok or frying pan. When it’s toasted and light brown get it quickly into a pestle and mortar or it’ll burn. Grind it up into a fine powder and pour it aside for now. In the now empty pestle and mortar, bash up the chillies and garlic into a rough paste. Tip this into a small bowl along with the chopped coriander and sugar. Pour on the soy and fish sauces and finally stir through the powdered rice (known as Khao Khua) which will thicken the sauce slightly- if it’s over thick, add extra lime juice and fish sauce.


Back to the chicken- lay on a grill tray/ baking sheet and grill at 200 degrees/ 400f/ gas 6 and grill for about 5 minutes either side until really hot all the way through. Serve piled high alongside the dipping sauce.