Flat Roast Thai Chook

PASTE

2 shallots

4 garlic cloveS

2 tbsp galangal

2 tbsp ginger

1 stalk lemon grass

6 coriander roots

2 kaffir lime leaves

1 tsp shrimp paste

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 limes - juiced

1 tsp coriander seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp sugar

Pepper

270ml can Coconut cream

1 organic chook, spine removed and flattened, 2-3 cuts along the breast and 1 on the thighs. 

2 cUPS rice

1 leEk, in .5cm rounds

2 lemongrass stubs, smashed

1 punnet of cherry toms, halved

1 bunch of baby boy chow, chopped into 2cm slices

3 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded

1 tspn of massel chicken stock (I like this one because I can recognise all the ingredients and it’s vegetarian)

1 cup of water 

1 bunch of thai basil

1/2 bag of bean sprouts - detailed if you have time

2 limes, in wedges

METHOD

Make the paste on the weekend or when you can (alert: fridge hack) and keep it tucked away. My paste is simply a red curry paste without the chilli so the tiny folk of my house can dine also. 

This one makes a happy jar full, of which I only used half for this recipe. 

Mix it with the coconut cream and pour it over the prepped chook the night before in a ziplock or covered tray. 

Then you can prep your rice AND veg also. Put all that great stuff in the tray and cover. 

That way getting home looks like this:

Take food from fridge. Crank oven to 180’c. Pour wine. Tutor a child. Bath another. Add a cup of water to the rice. Put your marinating chicken on top (discard excess marinade or add some to the pan as well). Oil the chook. Into the oven for 45mins. 

I may be lazy when it comes to assembly, but some things you can’t skip. Herbs and fresh things should be crunchy. So if at some point early on in the piece you can through some picked basil and bean sprouts into a large pool of water and ice then you will be happier. 

Serve with fresh herbs and lime wedges and carve the chook directly in the pan. The rice will be chewy on the edges (a la its Spanish friend paella) and lovely and soft under the chook. 

All the flavour and the mess contained in a single pan. #goals

Featured in Inside Out Magazine, photographed by Chris Court