Name: Martin Boetz: Chicken and prawn salad with caramelised coconut and lime
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 125 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 12 cooked large king prawns, peeled and shredded; 2 limes, juice only, plus extra limes, to serve; 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, thinly sliced; 25 gm (5cm piece) ginger, cut into julienne; 45 gm (1/3 cup) roasted unsalted peanuts, coarsely crushed, plus extra, to serve; 1 cup (loosely packed) each round mint and coriander leaves; 5 kaffir lime leaves, cut into julienne; 4 long red chillies, seeds removed, cut into julienne; To serve: lime wedges; Poached chicken; 2 litres (8 cups) chicken stock (see recipe for mussel and clam salad); 500 ml (2 cups) coconut cream; 100 ml oyster sauce; 100 ml fish sauce; 20 gm (4cm piece) galangal, thinly sliced; 5 kaffir lime leaves, cut into julienne; 2 lemongrass stalks, bruised; 1 chicken breast frame, from a 1.8kg chicken; Coconut-caramel sauce; 20 gm (4cm piece) ginger; 3 coriander roots, scraped and cleaned; 2 garlic cloves; 5 white peppercorns; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 100 gm light palm sugar, shaved; 1 dry coconut, flesh finely grated with a zester; 2 tsp shrimp floss (see note); 1 tsp shrimp paste, roasted and ground; 50 ml fish sauce; ½ a lime, juice only

Martin Boetz: Chicken and prawn salad with caramelised coconut and lime

Australian Gourmet Traveller Thai recipe for chicken and prawn salad with caramelised coconut and lime by Martin Boetz from Longrain restaurant.

Serves 6

Prep

45M

Cook

1H 20M

Total

2H 5M

“This salad balances all the flavours that should be found in Thai food – sweet, sour, salty and with a little heat. You could also serve freshly picked betel leaves on the side for wrapping the mixture in.”

Ingredients

12 cooked large king prawns, peeled and shredded

2 limes, juice only, plus extra limes, to serve

1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, thinly sliced

25 gm (5cm piece) ginger, cut into julienne

45 gm (1/3 cup) roasted unsalted peanuts, coarsely crushed, plus extra, to serve

1 cup (loosely packed) each round mint and coriander leaves

5 kaffir lime leaves, cut into julienne

4 long red chillies, seeds removed, cut into julienne

To serve: lime wedges

Poached chicken

2 litres (8 cups) chicken stock (see recipe for mussel and clam salad)

500 ml (2 cups) coconut cream

100 ml oyster sauce

100 ml fish sauce

20 gm (4cm piece) galangal, thinly sliced

5 kaffir lime leaves, cut into julienne

2 lemongrass stalks, bruised

1 chicken breast frame, from a 1.8kg chicken

Coconut-caramel sauce

20 gm (4cm piece) ginger

3 coriander roots, scraped and cleaned

2 garlic cloves

5 white peppercorns

2 tbsp vegetable oil

100 gm light palm sugar, shaved

1 dry coconut, flesh finely grated with a zester

2 tsp shrimp floss (see note)

1 tsp shrimp paste, roasted and ground

50 ml fish sauce

½ a lime, juice only

Method

Main

1.For poached chicken, place chicken stock in a large, deep-sided saucepan, add coconut cream, bring to the boil over high heat. Add oyster and fish sauces, galangal, lime leaves and lemongrass, set aside to infuse (10 minutes). Add chicken, return to the boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, remove from heat. Weight chicken with a plate, cover and stand until chicken is cooked through (45-50 minutes). Remove chicken from liquid, set aside to cool (20-30 minutes), then coarsely shred chicken breast along the grain into long thin strips (discard skin, bone and sinew), transfer to a large bowl.

2. Meanwhile, for coconut-caramel sauce, pound ginger, coriander, garlic and peppercorns in a mortar and pestle to a fine paste. Heat oil over medium heat in a saucepan, add paste, stir until golden (2-3 minutes). Add palm sugar, stir until melted (4-5 minutes), add a little hot water to melt, if necessary, cook until light caramel (5-6 minutes). Add coconut, shrimp floss and shrimp paste, bring to a simmer over high heat, add fish sauce and 50ml water, season to taste – it should be sweet and salty. Return to boil, set aside, cool to room temperature (30-40 minutes), stir through lime juice. Makes 185ml.

3.Add prawn to chicken with coconut-caramel sauce, lime juice, lemongrass, ginger and peanuts and toss to combine. Add mint, coriander, lime leaves and chilli, gently toss to combine, and serve scattered with extra peanuts, with lime wedges to the side.

Note Shrimp floss is small dried shrimp blended in a spice grinder into a fine powder.
This recipe is from the November 2009 issue of Australian Gourmet Traveller.
Drink Suggestion: 2008 Pizzini Rosetta or any balanced rosé. Drink suggestion by Sam Christie
Notes