Khao Mok Gai (Thai-Muslim Chicken Biryani)
Spiced yellow rice cooked with yogurt-marinated chicken, topped with crispy shallots and served with a sweet-sour green chilli and mint sauce.
- Region
- Southern Thailand
- Vegetables
- Bird’s Eye Chilli, Thai Shallots, Garlic, Fresh Turmeric, Ginger, Mint, Coriander Leaves
Ingredients
- 4 chicken legs, separated into thighs and drumsticks
- Marinade: 150 g plain yogurt, 2 tbsp mild curry powder, 1 tsp ground turmeric, 4 cloves garlic and 3 cm ginger (grated), 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar
- 3 tbsp ghee or neutral oil
- 1 cinnamon stick, 4 green cardamom pods, 4 cloves and 2 bay leaves
- 400 g jasmine rice, rinsed until the water runs clear
- 650 ml hot chicken stock
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp crispy fried shallots, plus extra to serve
- Sauce: 1 large handful mint, 1 handful coriander, 3 green chillies, 3 tbsp white vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar, ½ tsp salt, 2 tbsp water
- To serve: sliced cucumber and a bowl of clear chicken soup
Instructions
Khao mok is the biryani of Thailand’s Muslim communities, found across the south and at halal stalls in Bangkok. It is milder and less fiery than Indian biryani, with soft yellow rice, tender chicken and crispy shallots, and it always comes with a vivid green, sweet-sour mint and chilli sauce.
Method
- Mix the marinade ingredients, rub them into the chicken and marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge.
- Heat the ghee in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the chicken, reserving the leftover marinade, and fry for 8–10 minutes, turning, until golden on all sides. Lift it out.
- Fry the whole spices in the same pot for 30 seconds. Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes until every grain is coated and glossy. Stir in the leftover marinade.
- Pour in the hot stock, add the salt, and bring to a boil. Nestle the chicken into the rice, then scatter over the crispy shallots. Cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 25 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes, then fluff the rice gently.
- For the sauce, blend all the sauce ingredients until smooth. Taste: it should be sweet, sour, salty and hot.
- Serve the rice and chicken with more crispy shallots, cucumber, the green sauce and a bowl of hot chicken soup.
Cook’s tips
- Lay a clean tea towel under the lid while the rice rests; it absorbs the steam and keeps the rice fluffy.
- Leftover green sauce is excellent with grilled chicken or fish.
Aroy Mak Mak
Aroy Mak Mak is a small team writing about the food of Thailand and its neighbours: recipes you can cook at home, guides to the ingredients behind them, and places worth travelling for. The name means "very delicious" in Thai. Every recipe on the site lists its ingredients, timings and method in full, explains the techniques that matter, and suggests substitutes for ingredients that are hard to find outside Thailand. The guides to regions, condiments, vegetables and fruits explain what things are, how they are used and how to buy and store them. Place pages are researched from current sources, including the latest Michelin Guide Thailand, official websites and maps, and give addresses, opening hours and what to order. Where a detail could not be confirmed, it is left out rather than guessed.