Thai Fried Chicken ~ Hat Yai Style

Ingredients:

1.5 lb chicken ~ skin-on

3-5 tbsp rice flour

Oil ~ for frying

Marinate

5 cloves garlic

8 cilantro stem

1/2 tsp white peppercorn

2-1/2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp Thai soy sauce

1 tbsp Thai fish sauce

1/2 cup water

Directions/Instructions:

1. Score the thickest part of the drumsticks on either side of the chicken (about 1cm deep) to help the marinade penetrate and cook faster.  As for thighs, trim off any hanging excess skin.
2. Pound the white peppercorns until fine, then add the garlic and cilantro stems. Pound into a fine paste. Add the sugar and swirl the pestle around to help further grind the herbs.
3. Add fish sauce, soy sauce, and water; stir to mix. Pour the mixture into a large zip-top bag or a mixing bowl. Add the chicken and mix well. Let the marinate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Flip the chicken halfway through.
4. Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge for 30 minutes. Then, add about 3/4 cup of the rice flour and mix until there are no more lumps. Add more rice flour as needed to get a thin batter that coats the chicken thoroughly. If the batter has become too thick, add a little water at a time to thin it out.
5. Heat 2" of oil in a wok or a large pot to 190 degrees C (375 degrees F) on medium heat.  Once the oil is ready, add half of the chicken and allow the oil temp to drop to about 150 degrees C (300 degrees F); from this point on, adjust the heat to maintain the temp at 150 degrees C (300 degrees F)
6. Fry the chicken, flipping them every 1-2 mins until the meat reaches 79 deg C (175 deg F) internally temp.  Drums and thighs should take 10-12 mins, and whole wings about 6-8 mins.

Rice-A-Roni (From Scratch)

Ingredients:

3 tbsp butter

1/2 cup finely diced onion

2/3 cup spaghetti ~ broken into small

1-1/3 cup basmati rice

3 cup chicken broth

1 tbsp chopped parsley

Spices

1-1/2 tsp salt or more if needed

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp coriander powder

1/8 tsp mustard powder

1/8 tsp paprika powder

1/8 tsp turmeric powder

1/8 tsp cayenne powder

Directions/Instructions:

1. Combine all the dry spices and set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and broken spaghetti. Saute until the onion turns translucent and the spaghetti turns golden brown over medium-high heat.
3. Once the spaghetti has been browned, toss in the spices and stir for about 30 seconds.
4. Add the basmati rice and continue stirring to coat well for 2-3 minutes. Then add the chicken broth and bring it to a simmer.
5. Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and cover with a transparent lid.  Let it cook for 17 minutes (Note: At this point, do not stir or remove the cover.  Let all the liquid absorb).
6. After 17 minutes, turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes, but do not remove the lid.  Once 5 minutes up, remove the lid and fluff with a fork; sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Blackened Seasoning

Ingredients:

3 tbsp smoked paprika

2 tsp onion powder

1-1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 - 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions/Instructions:

1. Measure and add all the herbs and spices to a jar.  Mix to combine together.
2. Use immediately, or cover and store in a dark, dry place.