Grilled Lemongrass Chicken with Tomato Rice

You'll need:

• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2 small red chillies, coarsely chopped
• 2 lemongrass stalks, white part only, coarsely chopped
• 40gm soft palm sugar, coarsely chopped
• 50ml each soy sauce and fish sauce
• Juice of 1 lime
• 4 Chicken Marylands, halved through the joint, skin slashed in several places
• 1½ tbsp vegetable oil
• To serve: mint, coriander, fried shallots and lime wedges 
• Tomato rice: 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 3 red shallots, thinly sliced, 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped, 300 gm, (1½ cups) Jasmine rice, 200gm canned cherry tomatoes, 50ml fish sauce, 500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock, boiling.

Method:

01
Preheat oven to 220C. Process garlic, chilli, lemongrass, palm sugar and 1 tsp sea salt in a food processor until finely chopped, then add soy sauce, fish sauce and lime juice and process to combine. Combine in a non-reactive container (see cook’s notes p209) with chicken, coating well, and set aside to marinate (10 minutes).

02
Meanwhile, for tomato rice, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add shallot and garlic, and stir occasionally until tender (2-3 minutes). Add rice and stir to coat in oil. Add tomato and fish sauce, stir to combine, then add boiling stock, stir to combine and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, season to taste, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook, without uncovering, for 15 minutes. Remove lid, cover with a tea towel, replace lid, then remove from heat and stand to steam (5 minutes).

03
Drain chicken from marinade (reserve marinade). Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add chicken skin-side down and cook, turning once, until browned (4-5 minutes). Add marinade to pan and turn chicken skin-side down again, transfer to oven and roast, basting occasionally, until cooked through (6-8 minutes). Serve hot with tomato rice, herbs, fried shallots and lime wedges.