Rick Stein's Turmeric-Marinated Chicken Wrapped in Lime Leaves

The appetising look of this dish caught my eye while flipping through Rick Stein's cookbook. I really like how this recipe has made use of the very fragrant kaffir lime leaves to wrap the chicken to keep moist and from burning. This is a dish made by a Frenchman who lives in Hanoi since the mid-1980s, so he is pretty much local. He made this dish for Rick Stein during his visit in Vietnam.

This recipe is best cooked on a barbecue but cooking on a pan or grill on the stove will still taste as amazing, only without the smokiness from the charcoal barbecue. 

Turmeric-marinated Chicken Wrapped in Lime Leaves

Adapted from Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1kg skinned boneless chicken thighs
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 4 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp lime juice (about 1 lime)
• 3 bird's eye chilli, finely chopped
• 2 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 40 double-lobed kaffir lime leaves
• Vegetable oil
• Bamboo skewers

• Vietnamese dipping sauce (Nuoc Cham) - recipe below

Method:

1.  Cut the chicken thighs to about 2.5cm cubes.

2.  Mix the turmeric, fish sauce, lime juice, chopped chilli, shallots and white pepper in a bowl.

3.  Add chicken into the bowl and stir well.

4.  Cover and leave to marinate for about 2 hours or more.

5.  Meanwhile, soak the bamboo skewers in cold water and prepare the dipping sauce (recipe below).

6.  When the marinated chicken is ready, wrap each piece of chicken with lime leaf and thread through the bamboo skewers.

7.  Brush the skewered chicken with some oil and barbeque or grill for about 3 minutes on each side until just cooked. Careful not to burn them.

8.  Place the cooked chicken skewers on a plate and serve with Nuoc Cham dipping sauce. 

Nuoc Cham:

Recipe (doubled) from Rick Stein's Far Eastern Odyssey

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp lime juice (about 2 lime)
• 4 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp palm sugar
• 2 tsp chopped ginger
• 2  bird's eye chilli, finely sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 tbs water

Method:

1.  Mix all ingredients in a bowl and divide into dipping saucers before serving.

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Song Que | London

It is always exciting walking along Kingsland Road, the street famous for its limitless choices of Vietnamese food. Even though I have not tried all of them yet, I have been to quite a few and have established some selected favourites. Song Que is one of them. It is bright and open, with quite an extensive menu I sometimes wonder how they do it.  If you are looking for cheap, no-fuss and authentic Vietnamese food, this will be the one.

With its bright green sign at the corner of Kingsland road and Cremer Street, it is impossible to miss. Plus, it is only about a minute walk away from Hoxton station.

Grilled beef wrapped in betel leaf

It gets a little messy while eating but this isn't stopping me from ordering this ever so often. It is the process of wrapping the grilled beef in lettuce and betel leaf then dip into the sauce that I really enjoy.

Known for their excellent pho, do try their beef pho. In this photo, it is stewed beef noodle soup. The beef has been cooked for so long, it falls apart easily and the soup is packed full of flavour. Just delicious!

Hot and spicy prawn noodle soup is different from the typical beef pho. If you prefer seafood to beef, this will be a good option. It actually reminds me of the less intense version of Malaysian prawn noodle soup which I love. 

Smile..

Excellent pho and Vietnamese food. Valuable.

Frown..

Service is relaxed here so don’t expect seamless service.

Will I return?

Of course. Already have!

Song Que Cafe

134 Kingsland Road
E2 8DY
London, UK.

Tel: +44 (0)20 7312 3222

Nearest station: Hoxton (overground)

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