Saturday, August 16, 2008

Daddy's Got Skilz

My in-laws are visiting for a few days. They wanted an extended summer, but what they are getting is hell. Literally. It's been 90+ degrees inside the house for the last two days and even I, the one who grew up in Las Vegas, am feeling uncomfortable. Just imagine how miserable the Vikings are feeling. Oh well, nothing to do but drink more beer!

Danes have a collective skill. They can open beer bottles with just about any object. Normally they just use lighters, but a fork, blunt knife, rock and as you can see, a hammer works well too.



Obviously, we haven't been cooking food inside. Tonight we grilled up chicken that was so delicious, it was snapped up before I could pull some aside to snap a proper picture. I marinated the chicken in a paste made by combining naam phrik phao with some garlic and Thai sweet basil. Can't go wrong with that combination, can you? So here you go!

Watch the master at work! And if you're following the gas vs coal saga, we still haven't done it.

Grilled Chicken Marinated in Naam Phrik Phao and Thai Sweet Basil
  • 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (breasts will work okay too)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbs naam phrik phao
  • 2 handfuls Thai sweet basil (use the stem and flowers too!)
  • 4 tbs thin soy sauce or about 2-3 tbs regular soy sauce
When I grill thighs, I like to pound them to get them to a uniform thickness. Breaking down the meat fibers a little also allows the marinade to penetrate better, which means less marinating time. I definitely recommend doing this.

Make the marinating paste by pounding the garlic and Thai sweet basil. Transfer to a bowl and add the naam phrik phao and soy sauce. Mix well.

Add the paste to the chicken and rub it around to coat the chicken. Marinate for at least 3 hours in the fridge. Pounded chicken breasts need less time. One to 2 hours is probably sufficient for them. Take the chicken out of the fridge about 30 to 45 minutes before grilling to take the chill off. Grill over direct heat.

I served the chicken with Thai sticky rice. I also put out some sambal oelek, naam phrik phao and soy sauce for dipping.

Here are some other recipes using naam phrik phao that you may enjoy: Beef and asparagus stir-fry, stir-fry with naam phrik phao, Thai basil and coconut milk, shrimp and pomelo salad, and Thai hot and sour soup.

9 comments:

Manggy said...

I cannot believe you guys up there in the north have 90+ temperatures! Here almost on the equator and smack dab in front of the sun, it's only 77°F (of course it's been raining a lot...). Oh well, more lazy afternoons for you guys! :)

Lars said...

Looks like "de gamle øgler" are doing fine and keeping chilled the best way known to man. And yes opening beer with almost any object is a collective skill in DK. I've had friends that could do it with their teeth, small coins or even a piece of paper... to name a few. And thanks for the tip for the marinate... still got som naam prikh phao left over and there's a bit of sun these days in Norway too, som I might try this out.

Dee said...

Lars, a piece of paper??? Now that's exceptional! I would love to see that.

manggy, the weather during the summer here can get quite warm. in the 70's is more common, but we will have the occasional heat spell and hit the 90's. It's miserable because few of us have air conditioning in our homes.

Paula said...

I love the hammer shot! Ha! Your dinner looks wonderful cooking on the grill, and I love that marinade. Glad you guys had your camp out earllier than the past couple of days! How did everyone enjoy the thunder and lightening show last night? I just read the forecast and they are calling for a severe storm to hit on Tuesday ... but then again, you never know around here!

dp said...

Paula, I thought I heard something in my sleep. MIL said she thought it was pelting rain, but when we woke up this morning, everything still looked dry as a bone. Forecasters here never seem to get it right. Let's see when the rain really does come.

QGIRL said...

we have been grillin' out a fair bit lately, either that or eating a lot of salads. So much nicer than heating up the house. I finally had to turn the a/c on today. I much prefer no a/c but not if it is over 90 plus the humidity. And to think that I lived in Singapore, and other parts of SEA where we didn't even have a/c, I remember many nights of tossing and turning tortured by the stifling heat.
I am sure your chicken looked gorgeous.

bb said...

That was so damn hot here last weekend wasn't it? We felt so good last night with clouds and rain coolness that we had friends over for grilled leg of lamb and RED wine! We've been on this white/rosé kick, so getting our vin rouge on was awesome.
LOVE the hammer opener. Would love to see his emergency wine bottle opener!!
Also can't wait to try the marinade....thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...

Your father in law has great taste in beer--I love Black Butte Porter and most anything from Deschutes brewery! The hammer is a good idea, but I've seen beers opened with folded dollar bills;)

Heather said...

Thank gah it's cooled off. It was really spoiling my mood, that heat.