Thai Street Chicken

For the Chicken: 3 pieces cilantro roots 1 tablespoon palm sugar 2 teaspoons white pepper 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 tablespoon oyster sauce 4 garlic cloves, grated 1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs 1 cup fine julienne carrots 2 cucumbers, peeled, scored, and sliced 12 whole cilantro sprigs 2 limes, cut into wedges

For the Dipping Sauce: ¾ cup “NaturalQue” 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 teaspoon fish sauce 2 Thai bird chiles, minced 1 garlic clove, crushed ½ teaspoon white pepper

Fire up a charcoal grill to low heat, creating a slow, even bed of coals. To make the Marinade: Place the cilantro roots (or cilantro and parsley stems) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal the bag. Use the side of a rolling pin to bruise. Add the sugar, the white pepper, the fish sauce, the oyster sauce, and the garlic to the bag and combine. Add the chicken thighs. Massage until well incorporated. Seal and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Using flat and long stainless steel skewers, thread the chicken thighs so that they resemble a flat, Middle Eastern-style kebab. Using cooking spray, spray a clean grill rag and wipe down the grates of the grill very well. Use long tongs if proximity to fire makes you uncomfortable. Place the chicken skewers on the hot grill. Grill for 15 minutes, assuming the heat is between 275° and 300° and controlled; otherwise, you'll find yourself turning more frequently. Flip and grill for another 15 minutes, or until you can easily pull off a piece of cooked chicken as if it has been slow-cooked. Remove the chicken to a platter, and let rest 10 minutes. Slide the thighs off of the skewers and onto the platter, arranging them to one side of the platter. On the other side of the platter, in rows, line up the carrots, cucumbers, cilantro, and lime wedges. Serve with the Dipping Sauce. To make the Dipping Sauce: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate until chilled.

“NaturalQue” Prep: 20 minutes Cook: 5 minutes Servings: 6

2 cups white vinegar 2 cups packed brown sugar 2 cups rough chopped onions 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes, covered. Carefully remove the lid, and blend with an immersion blender (or put the mixture into a blender with the center lid removed; cover opening with a towel). Puree until as smooth or as chunky as you like. This formula is a building block. Add a splash or two of water if needed. Return the mixture to the pan, and, over low heat, simmer until the sauce is the texture you desire. Again, you can reduce tightly to a syrupy consistency, or not at all. It can take as long as an hour if you prefer sticky-sweet-syrupy sauces.

NOTES: Look at the sauces chart, look in your cupboard and your fridge, and start playing with herbs, spices, spirits, condiments, what have you.