BBQ prawns with zingy, spicy Thai sauce, BBQ Thai Chicken, with Asian tomato salad and steamed rice

Friday night is usually treat night where my husband and I indulge in wine and order a takeaway, falling into a heap watching netflix. I’m bored of all the takeaway options in my area so I’ve come up with a quick and delicious home cooked alternative. It’s fresh, healthy and beats any takeaway. It does require a bit of forward thinking with some prep the night before but once you’ve done that Friday night will be a breeze.

This Thai BBQ recipe has been a favourite of mine for some time and is a simplified version of the BBQ Thai chicken that I discovered in Thailand. The recipe is from Bill’s Everyday Asian by Bill Granger. The great thing about this recipe is that you can prep it the night before, which is brilliant if you’re entertaining or if like me you just want something easy and tasty for an alternative Friday night takeaway.

Method: Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together. Pour over the chicken and rub into the skin making sure every part of the chicken is covered. This can be done the night before or two hours prior to cooking.

You can either cook in an outdoor BBQ or alternatively in an oven. If using an oven cook accordingly to the packet instructions. I cooked mine in the oven for 30min on 170 degrees (fan oven) and then finished it off on my indoor BBQ until the skin was crispy and charred. If you’re throwing a BBQ with friends pre cooking the chicken in the oven will ensure you spend more time chatting with your friends and less time at the BBQ.

Once your chicken is cooking away you can start prepping the prawns and make the zingy, spicy Asian sauce. Again you can also make this sauce the night before or up to a week in advance. Now would be a good time to put the rice on. Further below is my tip to cooking perfect fluffy rice.

Prep the prawns by using scissors to cut down the back of the spine, removing the vein. Leave the shell and head in place. You can of course remove the head but keep the shell on to lock in the moister when you cook. Keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook. Once the chicken is coming off the BBQ add the prawns and cook until the prawns turn orange and meat is opaque. It’s ok if the shell gets charred this adds to the flavour.

Method: Now on to the sauce. This sauce or dressing transforms any dish and can be used with grilled seafood, meat or as a dressing for a salad. I like to make it in bulk and keep a jar of it in the fridge

In a pestle and morta add the garlic, chilli and sugar. Grind until you have a rough paste. Put this in a bowl with the lime juice and rice vinegar, mixing together. You can store this in the fridge until you are ready to use it. To serve add it to a small dipping bowl and add the chopped coriander on top.

Sometimes the simple things are often the best and that’s certainly the case with this tomato salad. It’s so refreshing and the toasted sesame oil adds another layer of flavour. This is easily one of my fave salads. Roughly chop and slice the tomatoes and if you like use a variety of different colour and shaped tomatoes for extra wow factor. Sprinkle with spring onions and nigella seeds. Mix together the white wine vinegar, sesame oil and pour over the salad just before serving and if you like garnish with coriander and a squeeze of lemon. Don’t forget to season with salt and pepper.

Perfect fluffy rice every time

Once the chicken has been in the oven for 15 min put the rice on. To get perfect fluffy rice simply put equal parts water and rice into a saucepan. One cup of rice and one cup of water or two cups of rice and two cups of water. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and add rice, then turning down to simmer, cover with a lid and leave a little opening to let some of the steam release. Leave it for 10-12 min according to the packet instructions. Once the time is up the rice should be dry, fluffy and ready to serve. To finish of sprinkle with nigella seeds and coriander on top.

Serve everything at once and get stuck in. It really is a quick and easy meal to prepare and is super delicious. It’s also much healthier than your local takeaway! Winning! Enjoy and let me know how you get on. If you would like to see more recipes like this please comment below or like this post.

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Have a great weekend,

Sommer xx