Preparation time
less than 30 mins
Cooking time
10 to 30 mins
Serves
Serves 2
By Donal Skehan
From Saturday Kitchen
Ingredients
- Thai sticky rice: 50 g (1¾ oz)
- Garlic cloves (finely chopped): 3
- Red chili (deseeded and finely chopped): 1
- Fresh Ginger: Thumb-sized piece (peeled)
- Skinless chicken breasts (cut into large chunks): 2 x 150 g (5½ oz each)
- Chicken stock: 60 ml (2½ fl oz)
- Fish sauce (nam pla): 3 tbsp
- Lime (zest and juice)
- Caster sugar: 1 tsp
- Spring onions (finely chopped): 5
- Fresh mint and coriander leaves: Handful (roughly chopped, reserving a few leaves for garnish)
- Little Gem lettuces (leaves separated): 2
If substituting for fish sauce, consider using one of the following alternatives:
- Soy Sauce: Adds a salty and savoury flavour.
- Oyster Sauce: Rich and savoury, commonly used in Asian cuisine.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Adds depth and umami flavour.
Method
Toast the rice in a large dry frying pan over a medium-high heat, until golden brown. Transfer to a pestle and mortar and pound the rice – you are looking for a rough texture rather than a fine powder. Set aside.
Place the garlic, chilli and ginger in a food processor and whizz until finely chopped. Add the chicken and pulse until smooth.
Heat the chicken stock in a large wok over a high heat, add the minced chicken and fry for 5 minutes, breaking the chicken up with a spatula as it cooks. Continue to cook until the chicken is cooked all the way through and is broken into small pieces.
Add the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar and stir through, frying for another minute. Remove from the heat, add the spring onions, mint, coriander, toasted rice and lime zest and fry for 1–2 minutes, until the spring onions are just tender.
Arrange the lettuce leaves on two plates and top with the chicken mixture. Garnish with extra mint and coriander leaves. Serve warm.