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By Root 680 0

spicy lime sauce. At first I thought the rich texture had come from a pan reduction or even a béchamel-like sauce, but I detected the faint taste of coconut and realized it was little more than coconut milk spiked with lime. With canned coconut milk, it can be made in less than a half hour.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1 to 1½ pounds)

Minced zest and juice of 2 limes

½ cup canned or fresh coconut milk (see page 75)

Salt and cayenne

1 teaspoon nam pla (fish sauce; optional)

4 scallions, minced, for garnish

¼ cup minced fresh cilantro for garnish

1. Marinate the chicken in half the lime juice while you start a grill or preheat the broiler; put the rack about 4 inches from the heat source.

2. Warm the coconut milk over low heat; season it with salt (hold off on salt if you use the nam pla) and a pinch of cayenne. Add the lime zest.

3. Put the chicken, smooth (skin) side up, on an ungreased baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and place in the broiler. Add half the remaining lime juice to the coconut milk mixture.

4. When the chicken is nicely browned on top, about 6 minutes later, it is done (make a small cut in the thickest part and peek inside if you want to be sure). Transfer it to a warm platter. Add the nam pla, if you’re using it, to the coconut milk; taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Spoon a little of the sauce over and around the breasts, then garnish with the scallions and cilantro and sprinkle with the remaining lime juice. Serve with white rice, passing the remaining sauce.

VARIATIONS

• Add a teaspoon of curry powder.

• Add a tablespoon of minced shallot to the coconut milk as it warms.

This sauce can also be used with many different foods:

• Grilled or broiled shrimp or scallops, with the cooking time reduced by a minute or two

• Boneless pork cutlets, treated like the chicken, with the cooking time increased by a couple of minutes (turn it once during cooking)

• Almost any white-fleshed fillet of fish, especially firmer ones like grouper, red snapper, or monkfish

SPICY CHICKEN WITH LEMONGRASS AND LIME

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

TIME: 45 MINUTES

IT MAY SEEM absurd, even insulting, to attempt to reduce an entire cuisine to a few flavors, but with just a handful of Thai ingredients—nearly all of which are available at most supermarkets—you can duplicate or even improve on many of the dishes found in your typical neighborhood Thai restaurant. A few ingredients will be unfamiliar to most American cooks, but no complicated techniques are involved in either preparation or cooking. This chicken dish, which can be taken in many directions, is a good example.

2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

½ cup minced shallot

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh galangal or ginger

1 teaspoon minced fresh hot chile or hot red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon sugar

2 lemongrass stalks

One 3-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced lime leaves or zest

2 tablespoons nam pla (fish sauce)

¼ cup minced fresh cilantro for garnish

1. Put the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic, galangal, and chile and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender and the mixture pasty. Add the turmeric, coriander, and sugar and cook, stirring, for another minute. Trim the lemongrass stalks of their toughest outer layers, then bruise them with the back of a knife; cut them into sections and add them to the mixture along with 1 cup of water.

2. Add the chicken and turn it once or twice in the sauce, then nestle it in the sauce; season with a little salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat to low and cover the skillet. Cook, turning once or twice, until the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes. (You can prepare the recipe in advance up to this point; cover and refrigerate for up to a day, then reheat before proceeding.)

3. Uncover the skillet and raise the heat to medium-high; turn the chicken skin side down.