Gai yang poussin and autumnal som tam salad

Prepare: less than 30 mins
Cook: no cooking required
Serve: Serves 2

This recipe uses punchy Thai flavours to take autumnal British ingredients to a whole new level.

By John Chantarasak

From Saturday Kitchen

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Ingredients

For the poussin

1 tsp white peppercorns
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp coriander root, cleaned and chopped (or coriander stalks)
3 tbsp garlic, chopped
1 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground coriander
3 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 poussin (approx. 450g/1lb)

For the glaze

75g/2½oz palm sugar (or brown sugar)
¼ tsp shrimp paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
3cm/1in piece cassia bark, toasted
1 star anise, toasted

For the tamarind jaew

2 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
2 tbsp tamarind water
1 tbsp fish sauce
¼ tsp chilli powder, toasted
1 stick lemongrass, finely sliced
1 tbsp chopped coriander (leaves and stems)
½ tsp lime juice

For the autumnal som tam salad

1–2 bird’s eye chillies (depending how spicy you like things)
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp tamarind water
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
3 tbsp celeriac, cut into thin matchsticks
½ apple, cut into thin matchsticks
2 tbsp white cabbage, thinly sliced
2 tbsp radish, thinly sliced
2 tbsp blackberries, halved
2 tbsp roasted hazelnuts

Method

To make the poussin, pound the white peppercorns and salt in a pestle and mortar to a fine powder. Add the coriander root and garlic, and continue to pound until you achieve a smooth paste. Add the palm sugar, turmeric, ground coriander, fish sauce and vegetable oil and mix to combine.
Use a pair of heavy-duty scissors to cut the poussin along the backbone to butterfly (spatchcock) the bird. Place the poussin, breast side up, on a cutting board. Gently but firmly press the poussin using the palm of your hand so that the poussin becomes flattened. This will allow it to cook evenly under the grill.
Rub the marinade thoroughly all over the poussin, and leave to marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight.
To make the glaze, add the palm sugar to a pan with ½ tablespoon of water and dissolve over a low heat. Once fully dissolved add the shrimp paste, fish sauce, cassia bark and star anise, and continue to simmer until slightly reduced.
Test the consistency by spreading a small amount on a plate and placing in the fridge for a few minutes. The desirable consistency should be tacky and sticky but not too firm. Simmer for longer or add more water as necessary to achieve the right consistency. Transfer to a container, cover and allow to infuse for 12 hours (at room temperature or in the fridge) before using.
Warm your grill to a medium-high heat. Grill the poussin, skin-side down, for 10 minutes until nearly cooked through, then flip to skin-side up and finish under a hot grill for 5 minutes, or until completely cooked, to give colour and char to the poussin skin. Rest the poussin for 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the tamarind jaew, add the palm sugar to a saucepan with 1 teaspoon of water. Gently heat to dissolve the sugar, then add the tamarind water, fish sauce and chilli powder. Whisk together to combine.
Mix in the lemongrass, coriander and lime juice and transfer to a dipping bowl.
To make the autumnal som tam salad, pound the chillies, garlic, palm sugar and salt into a paste in a pestle and mortar. Add the tamarind, fish sauce and lime juice, and stir together to form a dressing.
Add the carrots, celeriac, apple, cabbage, radish and blackberries to a mixing bowl. Gently but with some authority, crush and tumble the ingredients with the dressing. The idea is not only to mix them together but to break the cell structures of the vegetables, so they absorb more of the dressing. Once well mixed together, add the hazelnuts and give the salad a final mix.
To serve, liberally brush the poussin with the glaze and use a cleaver or sharp knife to cut it into bitesize pieces (still on the bone). Spread them over a plate or small platter and serve the jaew and salad alongside.