Tender whole chicken marinated in a lemongrass, garlic, and turmeric paste, then slowly grilled over charcoal until golden and smoky. Served with jeow dipping sauce and sticky rice, this is the quintessential Laotian street food.
Ingredients
1 whole chicken, butterflied
4 stalks lemongrass, minced
6 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Cilantro roots
Sticky rice for serving
Instructions
1Pound lemongrass, garlic, cilantro roots, and turmeric into a smooth paste using a mortar and pestle.
2Mix the paste with fish sauce, oyster sauce, white pepper, and oil to create the marinade.
3Rub the marinade thoroughly over the butterflied chicken, working it under the skin, and refrigerate for at least two hours.
4Grill the chicken over medium charcoal heat for forty-five minutes, turning regularly and basting with remaining marinade.
5Rest the chicken for ten minutes before chopping into pieces with a heavy cleaver.
6Serve with sticky rice and jeow bong dipping sauce on the side.
Did You Know?
Street vendors in Vientiane can be seen flattening whole chickens with cleavers and weaving them onto bamboo skewers in a technique passed down through generations.