Grilled & Fried

Grilling and frying are how much of Thailand's best street food is cooked: chicken over charcoal in Isaan, coiled herb sausages in the north, and crisp fried chicken buried under fried shallots in the south.

This collection covers gai yang, Isaan grilled chicken marinated in garlic, coriander root, white pepper and lemongrass; sai oua, Chiang Mai's sausage packed with curry paste and herbs; and gai tod Hat Yai, fragrant with coriander seed and cumin.

The recipes explain the slow, medium-low charcoal heat that keeps grilled meat juicy, the two-stage frying that keeps fried chicken crisp, and the oven methods that work when you have no grill. Each one comes with the dipping sauce and sides it is traditionally served with, usually sticky rice and a bowl of jaew.

Marinate the night before whenever you can: the garlic, coriander root and pepper paste used for both gai yang and Hat Yai fried chicken needs time to reach the meat. For a complete Isaan-style meal, serve the chicken with som tam, a bowl of jaew and a basket of sticky rice, and eat with your hands.