It is a bit addictive. I am trying to keep away..and then things like this come along which are better shared!
Thursday is the only day we can get fresh sea fish here.
So off we go to see what has drifted in.
Nothing and No stall.
Us: ‘Where is she?’
‘Oh. She not come today’

..pause..

‘Not sure when she will come back…’
Us:

(thinking )

’Oh because the boats have been badly damaged there is no fish or it is too expensive?’

‘Oh no. There is plenty of fish. It is just that Thai people here will not eat sea fish because the fish have been eating farangs ie.Europeans…….’

So on that charming note I shall leave you with another recipe! And maybe a pic to follow

Poulet aux piments et poivrons

Now here is a dish pungent with both western and eastern flavours.

1 fresh Free Range Chicken about 1.5kg. No point to do this with a frozen or standard supermarket bird. It will be tasteless. Don’t bother to go for Corn Fed birds. We use tender ‘Gai Ban’ ie House Chicken! as opposed to the tough ones we use for making stock!
You can make the same dish using a good duck. If so add some tomato juice to the stock, but not much!
4 Sweet Red Peppers
2 Onions or 8 Shallots
20 Large Cloves Garlic..we would probably use about 40 small ones, but they are really tedious to skin.
2 Carrots; not essentiall. You can use Fennel or Parsnips, Butter Squash etc. if you prefer.
Small amount say .25 litres very strong chicken stock. Tub from supermarket , if you must, or cubes! Not difficult to make own, but needs time!
1 litre boiling water
10 strands of fresh green peppercorns. These are about 3-4 inches long and will probably cost you -unless you can find a Thai shop with them freshly in. For some reason supermarkets sell them in tiny packs. The most you think it worth affording the better to get the balance of the sweet peppers and these. Not a jar of multicoloured corns in brine!
2 Lime leaves-fresh, dried or frozen-they are very amenable!
Stick Fresh Lemon Grass
3 decent sized well dried Chilis. On no account use ‘chili powder’, whatever that might be. nor Paprika
Juice of a lime-lemon will do.
2 Coffee Cups Olive Oil


Joint the chicken. Remove breast from bone-cut into 4 pieces if you wish - or simply (better) cut breast in one piece from the carcase, then chop-with a Chinese cleaver, of course, ..you cannot do it cleanly with a knife.. and joint breast into about 6-8 pieces.

Assemble carcase, neck, head, wings and feet of chicken for the stock.

Reserve the legs, thighs, breasts or pieces.

Roughly Chop 1 Onion or 4 shallots, 1 Carrot, 10 cloves Garlic and One Red Pepper..no need to peel or skin anything, just wash if you are worried about surface chemicals.

Heat 1 Cup of Oil in heavy pan. Add Onion, Garlic, Pepper and Carrot, cook until colouring, then add chicken carcase chopped up, wings, feet, neck and head. Colour further, then add stock and water.
Cook for about an hour and a half until you have a well flavoured stock.
Remove all debris and give to pets.
Reduce stock until you have about 500cl.

While this has been going on, cut red peppers in half, remove stalk, cores and seeds and dry roast (ie. don’t brush with oil!) under a grill or over a flame until the skins are black and they are quite tender. Remove charred skins and then clean in fresh water.
Dry and reserve. Do not chop up!
But do chop finely the other onion or shallots and crush and skin the remaining garlic, peel and chop the second carrot quite finely.

In a new pan heat the second cup of oil.
Add the Onion or Shallots and the Garlic and Chilis. Cook until colouring.
Add the chicken thighs, legs and breast pieces.
Brown.
Add the Carrot, the Sweet Peppers, Lime Leaf, Lemon Grass, and the Green Peppercorns.
Cook a little then add the stock. If the stock does not cover all add a little water and check for seasoning-salt mainly.

Cook for about 45 minutes on a low heat.
When the chicken is just done, remove the pieces to a dish, cover and keep warm. Then slowly reduce the stock to a thickish sauce.
Try not to stir too much as that will break up the peppers and peppercorns. Just shake a little.

Towards the end add the juice of a lime-maybe more than one-When the taste and texture is to your satisfaction pour the sauce over the chicken pieces and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

We just ate that for supper on January 5 2005 with a little dish of pig’s tongues and another of fried dried tuna! (and some rice) eaten by E also!
Should be enough for 4 but only for the two us ! Larger chicken will do, but not much over 2kg.

With a duck it would be better to leave the sauce to cool and remove the fat, both when making stock and with final cooking.

I have made this with game birds, too, partridges in particular in France. Benefits from the addition of a glass or so of marc and 1 of white wine.