There's something magical about the collision of live fire and fragrant Thai spice. This wood-fired Massaman curry takes a whole chicken, slowly turned on the rotisserie over glowing embers, and pairs it with a rich, coconut-based curry sauce bubbling away in a cast iron pan right beneath it — catching every drop of smoky, savoury goodness as it drips from the bird. The result is a dish that's part backyard fire, part Thai classic: tender, spit-roasted chicken with golden, crispy skin, served alongside soft potatoes and green beans simmered in a deeply aromatic Massaman sauce. It's a showstopper for anyone who loves cooking over fire, and well worth the extra effort of making your own curry paste from scratch.
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 1 whole chicken, about 1.8kg
- Two thumb-size pieces of root ginger
- 1 diced red onion
- 1 stick lemongrass, bashed with a rolling pin
- 1 lime, cut into quarters
- 100g Massaman curry paste, recipe below or try Waitrose
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 450g baby new potatoes
- 400ml can of coconut milk
- 1 tsp brown sugar, any type
- 200g green beans, trimmed
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp unsalted peanuts, crushed (optional)
- Basmati rice, to serve
For the Massaman curry paste
- 3 tbsp lemongrass, root and outer husks removed, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp galangal, chopped
- 1 tbsp root ginger
- 4 tbsp banana shallot, chopped
- 4 tbsp garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp coriander root or stem, chopped
- 10 dried long red chillies, seeded and soaked in cold water for 15 minutes until soft
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tbsp shrimp paste, toasted in foil (10 minutes in the oven at 200°C)
- 1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground to a fine powder
- ½ tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground to a fine powder
- 2 cloves, toasted and ground to a fine powder
- 1 blade of mace, toasted and ground to a fine powder
- ½ tsp white peppercorns, toasted and ground to a fine powder
- 2 tbsp coconut cream
Method
Make the curry paste first
- Add the lemongrass, galangal, ginger, coriander root, shallot and garlic to a wok over a medium heat and dry toast for 10 minutes to give colour and drive off some of the water. This concentrates the flavour and gives a roasted, smoky taste.
- Transfer to a stone pestle and mortar and pound until smooth, then add the remaining paste ingredients and mix well. Set aside. If you are using shop-bought paste, skip these two steps.
Cook the chicken
- Set up your Somerset Grill with the rotisserie and light your wood 1 hour before building up a bed of embers.
- Put the chicken onto the rotisserie skewer and clamp either side.
- Roughly chop half the ginger and put into the cavity of the chicken with the lemongrass and half the lime, then tie the legs together with string, securing to the rotisserie.
- Mix 1 tsp of the curry paste with the oil, rub it all over the chicken, then season with salt.
- Now put it onto the rotisserie and set the height so you can place a pan under the chicken as it rotates.
- Place a little oil, the onion, the remaining ginger and lemongrass into a cast iron pan under the chicken and soften. Add the remaining paste and cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk, brown sugar and potatoes into the sauce.
- Once the potatoes have softened, add all remaining ingredients and check the seasoning.
- Rotisserie for another 40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through to 63°C and golden, and the potatoes are tender.
- Take the chicken off the spit and leave to rest, loosely covered.
- Put the potatoes and sauce back on, adding the green beans, and cook until tender and fragrant. Splash in the fish sauce and any resting juices, then squeeze over the remaining lime.
- Scatter with the peanuts for the authentic Massaman flavour. Carve the chicken and serve with basmati rice.
Comments
0 comments