Ingredients
| 3 tablespoons tamarind purée | |
| 2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce | |
| 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce | |
| 4 whole chicken leg and thigh pieces | |
| 16 cherry tomatoes, quartered | |
| ½ cup roasted macadamia nuts | |
| 2 cloves garlic, peeled | |
| ¼ teaspoon salt | |
| 2-3 chillies, chopped (discard seeds for less heat) | |
| 2 tablespoons lime juice | |
| 2 tablespoons fish sauce | |
| 1 tablespoon palm sugar | |
| 4 corn cobs | |
| 250g green beans, trimmed and halved | |
| ½ cup Thai basil leaves or coriander |
This is a variation on green papaya salad using fresh sweetcorn and green beans. The dressing uses macadamia nuts that add a lovely creamy crunch, but peanuts or cashews are also delicious. This salad is great with any barbecued protein, but here I have served it with barbecued chicken pieces marinated in soy and tamarind, like the ones I ate at the night market in Chumphon. Whole leg and thigh pieces need about 45 minutes to cook through, so you need a covered barbecue that you can set to an indirect or low heat. You can always start the chicken in the oven and finish on the barbecue if that suits you.
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Instructions
| 1. | In a bowl or bag mix the tamarind purée, sweet soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce and add the chicken to coat. Marinate for 6-24 hours, turning once or twice. |
| 2. | Put the cherry tomatoes in a large serving bowl and crush with a fork. |
| 3. | Put half the nuts in a mortar and pestle or small food processor along with the garlic, salt and chillies and crush to a rough paste. |
| 4. | Transfer to the serving bowl with the tomatoes and stir in the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. |
| 5. | Bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook the corn for 5 minutes until tender then lift it out with a slotted spoon and cool. |
| 6. | Cut the corn cobs in half and then cut the kernels off each cob, trying to keep pieces intact. Add to the dressing but don’t mix. |
| 7. | Bring the water back to the boil and cook the beans for 1 minute then drain and cool quickly under running water or in a bowl of ice. Drain well, then add to the corn. |
| 8. | Add the Thai basil or coriander, but don’t toss until you are ready to serve. |
| 9. | Heat a barbecue: if using coals you need an indirect heat; if using gas, heat to a high heat then immediately turn down to low. |
| 10. | Take the chicken out of the marinade and brush off the excess. |
| 11. | Place skin-side down and cook the chicken for 15 minutes then turn and cook for about 30 minutes until cooked through, brushing often with the marinade to glaze the skin of the chicken. |
| 12. | When ready to serve, toss the salad and scatter with extra nuts. Serve with the chicken. |
Recipes & food styling Fiona Smith / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Jess Hemmings