This Dish Will Awaken Your Grill, Grill Pan, or Air Fryer

Most cooks employ only two parts of cilantro [aka coriander]—the seeds and the leaves. I’ll bet you didn’t know there is a third; the roots! In northern Thailand this dish is street food currency. Pair it with their famed hot and sweet sauce and you will begin a new chapter in Asian cookery.

Cilantro roots are often hard to purchase, they are trimmed away for a nicer display. I use the stems instead with equal success. That’s not to say you can ask your store to preserve the roots.

Serves 3-4

INGREDIENTS: I also substitute pork tenderloin: slice into 1 1/2 inch thick rounds, and lightly pound into 3/4 inch thick chunks. I will also try portobello mushrooms

• chicken pieces – 6, skin on, bone-in [dark meat is preferred]
• Marinade
  • cilantro stems – 3 TBS, or roots, finely minced
  • salt – 1/4 tsp
  • peppercorns – 2 tsp, ground
  • garlic – 6 cloves, finely chopped
  • Thai fish sauce 7 tsp

The following dipping sauce is what makes Asian cooking so mystifyingly delicious. So few ingredients that balance out the funky marinated protein.

• HOT & SWEET SAUCE – This flavor is straight from Southeast Asia: a classic four taste sauce: hot, sour, salty, and sweet.
  • INGREDIENTS: [The chili I use is called gochugaru and can be found in Asian markets. Substitute Italian red pepper flakes]
    • rice vinegar – 1/2 cup
    • sugar – 1/2 cup
    • garlic – 2 cloves
    • salt – 1/4 tsp
    • red pepper flakes – 2-3 tsp, [also known as gochugaru, or Italian red pepper flakes]
  • INSTRUCTIONS: Bring vinegar and sugar to a bare simmer to dissolve sugar. Using a mortar and pestle grind the garlic with the salt to form a paste, then add in the chili flakes and break down into a coarse paste. Combine with the vinegar mixture. Store at room temperature.

Mashing Marinade, Then Mixing and Finally Air Drying in the Fridge

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the marinade by using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and combine the stems, salt, peppercorns, and garlic to form a paste
2. Add the fish sauce to form a marinade
3. Use a sharp paring knife and poke deep holes every inch or so into the chicken pieces and place them in a zipper top bag along with the marinade
4. Massage the marinade into the chicken and refrigerate for 6-8 hours [or 1 hour if needed]
5. Preheat the grill, grill pan, or air fryer and wipe off most of the marinade
6. Grill or fry until there are char marks and cooked to 165º

Serve with sauce at the table

WAYS TO SERVE:

This chicken is usually served with sticky rice, a specialty rice, which is soaked for 8 hours and then steamed. When served it is slightly sticky—you can pick some up and roll between your fingers to form a kind of loose sushi roll. Then you add on a piece of chicken with the same hand and down the hatch!

You can also serve with lettuce leaves. Pick buttercup or bibb style lettuce. Slice the meat and then at the table serve family style. Each is made with a leaf of lettuce, some sticky rice, a bit of protein and a drizzle of Hot & Sweet Sauce

Purchase Thai sticky rice at Asian markets, it is best to ask for it

©2025 Bill Hettig