Main:  Thai Grilled Chicken with Grilled Snake Beans & Basil Salad
Adam Liaw (Sunday Paper)

Dessert:  Walnut & Ricotta Stuffed Figs
Women’s Weekly “After Work Fast”

Hi Everyone!

Hope you have had a reasonably dry week.  We certainly haven’t here and our hearts go out to those who have had their homes and lives flooded by the rising waters.  It certainly makes us feel like the lucky ones being able to sit with family and share a meal while so many don’t even know if they will have a home to come back to when all the water recedes.

So with that in mind and being extremely grateful, this week I want to share with you a wonderful Adam Liaw main meal.  Adam won the second series of Masterchef and has gone from strength to strength.  One of the things I love most about his cooking is the infusion of asian flavours with something as simple as throwing a chicken on the barby.

This Thai Grilled Chicken was so delightful, flavoursome and moist.  At first, I thought it may be too hot (given the “Smoking hot” description) for the MAV’s palette, however, it was a total winner.

There is a bit of chipping and chopping to prepare the marinate but nothing a good sharp knife or a super mini food processor can’t handle.  Loads of garlic so cook it one night when you don’t have to do important client interviews the next day perhaps but the smell of the marinade is fabulous and once I rubbed it in, I stuck it in the fridge for 6 hours.

I chose to cook the chicken in the oven because of the cyclonic weather outside so it roasted away for about 50 minutes beside a tray of beautiful duck fat potatoes. I tested the chicken with the meat thermometer, that way ensuring no mistakes with undercooked chook.  The Nam jim jaew dipping sauce is quick and easy to whip up and is the jewel in the crown of the roasted chicken.

Grilled snake bean and basil salad is something you should definitely give a go because of it’s versatility.  This will go with so many meat dishes at your next BBQ.  I added asparagus but you could do snow peas, egg plant,  broccolini and so on.  I BBQ’d the veg on my grilling dish inside and they worked beautifully.  This entire meal went so well together that I got a 10/10.  Is that the second week in a row?  By the way it is also a fabulously economical meal.  I bought two little chickens from Wollies for $5.50 each as they were on special.  Don’t be put off by having to cut out the backbone and flatten the chickens out.  If you have a good sharp knife or even some kitchen scissors, you will be fine.

Dessert was out of the “After Work Fast” again.  I chose this because the figs looked so plump and lovely.  They need to sit upright to work properly so cut a little flat working base on each one where necessary so they prop well.  When you cut the figs in quarters be very careful not to cut right through as I did on the first one.  You can see what will happen by the photo here.

The filling isn’t sickly sweet – in fact quite savoury which is perfect with the caramel sauce.  It feels light in the mouth but certainly two figs each is enough.  I’ll definitely do this one again.  9/10

Until next time.

From my table to yours with love x