The Thai-style sweet and sour spicy flavor is refreshing and zesty, guaranteed to whet your appetite.
The inspiration for this dish came from watching a Thai chef prepare something similar during a visit to a hotel; the version presented here is a home-style adaptation.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
200 g (about 7 oz) large shrimp
Chicken breast, 1 small piece
Additional Ingredients
Green and red bell peppers, cucumber, lettuce, and onion — each to taste
Seasonings
15 g fish sauce
3 fresh Thai bird's eye chilies
2 cloves garlic
2 g (about 1/2 teaspoon) sugar
Half a fresh lemon
Scallions and ginger, to taste
For the shrimp, use fresh ones—live shrimp are even better. Thai seasonings can be numerous and hard to find all of them, but having the most essential ones (lemon, fresh bird's eye chilies, and fish sauce) is sufficient.
Instructions
Instructions
Preparation
Step 1: Remove the vein from fresh shrimp with the shell still on, blanch in boiling water just until cooked, then immediately remove and rinse under cold water (Image 2). Place the chicken breast in a pot with some scallions and ginger, simmer over low heat for 10 minutes until cooked through, then remove and let cool (Image 3).
*Shrimp are done when they curl completely; overcooking makes them tough. For chicken breast, use low heat and poach gently until cooked through.
*Remove the vein from the shrimp before cooking, as it cannot be removed afterward; cooking the shrimp with the shell on helps retain moisture, resulting in firmer, bouncier meat.
Step 2: Remove the heads and tails from the cooked shrimp and peel them; tear the chicken breast into thick shreds by hand, following the grain of the meat (Figure 4); wash and prepare all the vegetables as needed (Figure 5).
*Various raw vegetables can be used, and fruits like mango can also be added for a more Thai-style flavor.
Step 3: Remove the stems and seeds from the bird's eye chilies, then place them in a mortar with the garlic (Image 6) and pound into a paste (Image 7).
Seasonings: 2 tablespoons light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon chili oil, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder, salt to taste
④ Pour the fish sauce into the bowl and stir to combine, then add a little sugar, and finally squeeze fresh lemon juice into the bowl (Figure 8) to finish the dressing. Combine all the vegetables and meat together, pour the dressing over, and toss well to serve.
*Fish sauce is savory and salty, so there's no need to add extra salt.
*Finally, you can toast some sesame seeds, crush them, and sprinkle over the dish for a beautiful finish and an extra layer of flavor.
*The sourness comes from fresh lemon, the heat from fresh bird's eye chilies, and the saltiness from fish sauce—as long as these three ingredients are in the dressing, the flavor is complete.
