Monday, March 22, 2010

khao Mok Gai ข้าวหมกไก่ Southern Yellow Chicken Rice


After a week of Malaysian food we are slowly moving up to Thailand's deep south. Some refer to this as the Thai Bryiani and I think they are not wrong at all. A southern Thai Muslim dish that is popular around the country and a favourite of my late grandfather. A very simple dish to prepare but the end result is never short of festive. If you don't have a rice cooker, just finish off the dish using the absorption method. A dish heavily influenced by Indian and Arab cooking but the dipping sauce has managed to make this a unmistakably Thai.

Serves 3 as a one dish meal
you'll need;
6 chicken drumsticks or thighs, marinated with 1 tbs each of curry powder and turmeric powder
2 cups of jasmine rice, washed and drained
2 shallots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbs of Malaysian curry powder
1/2 tbs of turmeric powder
1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup of coconut milk
chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
fried shallots as toppings
cucumber and tomato slices

Prepare the aromatics for the rice.

For the sauce;
2 green chilies
5 cm knob of ginger
3 stalks of coriander 
3 spring onion
1/3 cup of castor sugar
1/3 cup of white vinegar
salt to taste
1 tbs of water
Chop all the herbs and aromatics finely and set aside. Place sugar and water in a bowl and microwave for a minute, add in the vinegar. Add chopped ingredients into the sugar and vinegar mixture, check for seasonings.

Pan fry chicken til golden.

Saute chopped shallots and garlic til lightly brown then add the spices and coat the rice well.

Place rice and chicken in the rice cooker.

Add stock and coconut milk and start cooking.

Serve rice with chicken, garnish with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, not to forget the sauce of course.

50 comments:

  1. That's such an awesome meal. My children will be very happy if I cook this.

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  2. OMG, it looks so mouthwatering fantastic! Just a question: What is the purpose of frying the chicken first? Is it to prevent the meat from falling of the bone?

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  3. It does look like chicken biryani to me, yummy!!

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  4. Mary,
    Thank you! Let me know you you plan to cook for them :)

    Ju,
    Thank you very much! :) Frying the chicken first will enhance the colour and taste of the dish, it is also less oily as fat would have been rendered out ")

    Kenny,
    Thank you! A lot of southern muslim dishes are heavily influenced by Indian cooking.

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  5. Wow! I keep saying that one day I'll get round to making one of your recipes. In this case, I definitely will. Just a couple of questions as I'm a bit wobbly in the kitchen:

    1)How much stock and coconut milk should I add to the rice cooker. For example, normally I'd use the guidelines in the rice cooker as a guide to how much water to add. For this recipe, should I just follow those or do I need to add more liquid as there is chicken.

    2) Does making this meal leave a 'taint' when using the rice cooker in future. If so, I may cook this on the hob instead.

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  6. Sorry hungry tummies, I always said I want to try your delicious dishes but so far not yet. Why don't you open a restaurant with various cuisines and I can just walk in...hahaa...

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  7. ฉัน รัก นี้ มาก มาก! :)

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  8. This really looks so delicious! Just curious what is the difference between Malaysian curry powder and Indian?

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  9. 好棒呀! 你祖夫是泰南人嗎?

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  10. Mr Noodles,
    Oh thank you :) re your questions;
    1) Just follow the usual guidelines, the chicken won't affect the cooking. Add the coconut milk first then you can add the amount of stock needed accordingly.

    2) No it won't taint the pot, I do have a a pot with teflon coating but it might discolour the aluminium type.

    Anncoo ,
    Thank you very much! I would like to open a little place, maybe in a few years' time :)

    muu :) ,
    ขอบคุณ มาก! :)

    Bo,
    Thank you! Just the combination of the spices but similar enough, so it is perfectly fine to use Indian curry powder.

    大肥,
    謝謝!你是指祖父嗎?哈哈!他是泰北來的!

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  11. Mouthwatering! I love this dish!

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  12. dear 3 hungry tummies!!! anda membuat makcik sangat lapar..ooo sedapnya!!pasti akan mencubanya!thanks for the recipe:)

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  13. Wow this is such an impressive dish but quite easy to prepare! I have learnt so much from you! The sambal tumis telur was a big hit and I am going to try making nasi lemak with that tmr. How do I make the sambal ikan bilis? Thank you!

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  14. That looks so delicious. I really enjoyed reading your Malaysian recipes because they are so familiar to me and I have made them all before but I have never made this dish. I can't wait to see what you share next!

    Let me know when I can make a booking at your restaurant-Can I please sit with Ancoo!!!!

    Best wishes and have a wonderful week,
    Natasha.

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  15. I understand that was the favorite dish of your grandfather because you have to see the look that is so rich.
    Kisses.

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  16. The thing I really like about your dishes are they are mainly very simple to prepare, the step by step photos help of course :) Another dish perfect when my friends are over for lunch!
    By the way I cooked the prawns and peas in egg sauce tonight, one work DELICIOUS!

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  17. You are really a good cook, this look really delicious, especially the fried chicken ! yummy.

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  18. Pretty yellow rice and sounds fantastic with all the delicious flavors!

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  19. Oh, that looks delicious! There's nothing like fried chicken and the yellow rice makes it even better!

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  20. Oh My!!! pics makes me hungry for some now...Super delicious..

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  21. Yes, yes, I want to be there too when you open you restaurant. Plus I am so in awe of all your language skills! Is there nothing you can't do? :)

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  22. This is a fantastic dish! I had this when I was in Krabi, r u doing a Thai week again? :)

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  23. This looks fantastic darling! It does look like briyani :) Will love to know more about southern Thai food. We made a large batch of sambal tumis, it is awsome!
    Sophia xxx

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  24. The sauce looks really delicious to go with the chicken ;)!

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  25. SUch a fantastic yellow rice...looks awesome and makes me hungry..

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  26. That sounds wicked good. I love the coconut milk in the rice, I bet that gives it a great texture.

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  27. This is exactly the kind of recipe I like to add to my repertoire, so thank you for posting! I love chicken and rice in any form, and this looks beautiful and packed with flavor. Fabulous!

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  28. Hey,
    I have all the ingredients to try this wonderful plate of Thai-themed dish. Well, I will have to use Indian curry powder though. :)

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  29. toujours de belles recettes j'adore tes épices je sent leur parfum
    bonne soirée

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  30. Joy,
    Thank you!

    cikmanggis,
    O maafnya bikin makcik lapar pula! :) Selamat bercuba )

    KL girl in MELB ,
    Thank you! I haven't been in the mood to cook so only simple recipe atm.
    For sambal ikan bilis;
    Fry anchovies til crispy, set aside. Next fry some sliced onion with sambal tumis, turn off the heat when the sauce has thicken a little and add in the fried anchovies. Good luck!

    Natasha ,
    Thank you very much! Haha I'll get all of you a table if that ever happened lol
    You have a great week too!

    Amanda,
    Thank you very much! It looks a lot richer than it is :) Kisses

    love to eat ,
    Thank you and good luck with your lunch!
    I'm so glad you have successfully made the sambal!

    little panda,
    Thank you!

    Sonia ,
    Thank you! The chicken is actually very tender since it has been cooked together with the rice!

    5 Star Foodie,
    Thank you very much!

    Pam ,
    Thank you very much!

    Sarah Naveen ,
    Thank you, do try!

    shaz ,
    Haha you are making me blush lol

    shanshan,
    Thank you! I'm not very sure about food plan just yet, might just be surprises.

    Sophia darling, thank you! I'm glad your sambal came out well too, meaning my recipe is working :) xxx

    mycookinghut ,
    Thank you! It makes the dish Thai :)

    Priya,
    Thank you very much!

    Bob,
    Thank you! Just enough without making the dish too rich :)

    Hungry Dog ,
    Thank you very much! Looking forward to hear from you again.

    Cool Lassi(e) ,
    The curry powders are fairly similar and we only need very little so it will be just as nice :)

    Fimère,
    Merci beaucoup :)

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  31. Morning buddy, this is perfect for the chilly nights. Sambal making was a success, we managed to get 6 jars so we'll be having quite a bit of Malaysian dishes. Take care buddy!

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  32. What a stunning looking dish! I can smell the aromas from here! I can see how the sauce has made this a truly Thai dish!

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  33. Hi 3HT. Long time no see ! Just got back from a trip to HK and Macau with my kids. Brought them to Disneyland. They loved it ! Had my fill of dim sum - not as good as Melbourne though. Your chicken rice looks great !

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  34. Oh my mouth waters over this dish! YUM!

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  35. I love Indian spices. this looks amazing!

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  36. Amazing looking dish, I bet it taste so good too. I love the idea of cooking it in a rice cooker! Can I use other meat?

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  37. The color of the rice is simply stunning!!!luv the combo of spices used here..really tempting click

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  38. Oh wow... these look so delicious! What a great recipe!

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  39. I love those colours. Drooling now.... time for dinner!

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  40. Hey buddy, 6 jars? I should come over and pick some up :) Happy cooking!

    CW ,
    Thank you! The thais are good at adopting new things and put a stamp on it :)

    Borneoboy ,
    Thank you!
    Glad to know you had a good time with your kids! You mean you didn't get any good dim sums? Looking forward to your post on hk and macau food.

    Brisbane Baker,
    Thank you very much!

    Jessica,
    Thank you!

    noobcook ,
    Thank you :)

    little panda ,
    Thank you! I think beef might work well as long as you don't overcook it.

    sangi,
    Thank you very much! :)

    Sook ,
    Thank you! Please try as it is very healthy too!

    penny ,
    Haha thank you! What are you eating?

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  41. Wow, you gals cook so well! I wonder how many pounds have you gals gain so far? hahaha...

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  42. Perfect meal! Yum, all the flavors that I love! Looks fantastic!

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  43. salam..makcik yam singgah ..datang dari rumah cik manggis,terjumpa resepi ni.. rasanya sedap..nak minta izin link agar tak miss resepi lain..makcik suka masakan thai..

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  44. My Little Space ,
    Haha you should know by now there are no girls here!

    n33ma ,
    Thank you very much!

    Lyndsey ,
    Thank you!

    mohdandmeriam,
    salam makcik. Oh tak perlu nak mintak izin :)

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  45. wow..best-bestnya resepi kat sini..boleh saya mencubanya

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  46. Hi,
    Your chicken rice look delicious. Can I subsitute the coconut milk with evaporate milk?

    TIA
    BabeIpoh

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  47. kak ina kl ,
    Boleh boleh!

    BabeIpoh,
    Thank you! You can substitute coconut milk with full cream milk

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