By Angus An

Looking for a side dish or appetizer to wow your guests with this holiday season? This gai bing, which I created for Whistler’s new Thai restaurant Mekong, is flavourful, juicy, and bright.

*Note: this recipe requires at least one day of preparation.

Marinade ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons white pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro root or stem
• 1 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon thin soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon palm sugar 
• ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce

Marinade instructions

1. In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic, coriander stem, and white pepper into a fine paste.
2. Mix in the rest of the seasoning and set aside.

Chicken ingredients

• 3 boneless chicken thighs
• 2 tablespoons coconut cream
• 8 bamboo skewers
• 1 cup fried shallots (you can buy these premade from the store)
• Few sprigs cilantro

Chicken instructions

1. Cut the boneless chicken thighs into one- or two-inch cubes.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken with the marinade.
3. Cover and let sit in the fridge overnight.
4. Soak the bamboo skewers in water overnight.  
5. The next day, skewer the chicken onto the bamboo skewers (about four or five pieces per skewer, which should yield roughly six to eight skewers).
6. Brush the chicken with coconut cream.
7. Grill the chicken until cooked and caramelized.

Nahm Jim Jiao ingredients

• 3 tablespoons tamarind 
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon toasted sticky rice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon chopped sawtooth coriander (optional)

Nahm jim jiao instructions

1. Grind the toasted sticky rice into a fine powder.
2. In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients except the rice powder and herbs, and stir until smooth. 
3. Add the rice powder and herbs to finish.
4. Add to a bowl for dipping.
5. Place the chicken skewers on a plate and sprinkle with fried shallots and cilantro. 
6. Dip and nibble to your heart’s content.