When I was young, one of my favorite treats, which were definitely not part of the cuisine of the palace where I was raised, was grilled chicken. This is not the grilled chicken that is served with Som Tum (papaya salad) which everyone is familiar with. Grilled chicken in those days was made from free ranging chicken, which is a rage in Western cuisine today.

               This was during the days before chicken farms and processing plants that today churns out tender young chicken meats filled with antibiotic and all the good things for the health of the chicken while it was still living and in turn pass it to the consumers. So, now adays we can buy very tender chicken meat that is clean and sterile with very little character and natural taste.

               Chicken meats have consequently come down in price and the cost of raising free ranging chicken have gone up. In the past few years’ chicken farms have started raising free ranging chicken due to demands from kitchens in developed countries. Chefs and cooks have realized there are more flavors and texture in free ranging chicken and have gone back to cooking the old ways.

               Well, I have just gone off on a tangent about the history of chicken! I must admit that I do prefer free ranging chicken, although some say that it is tougher than process chicken. I like to be able to sink my teeth into a grilled chicken and exercise my jawbones and actually chew and taste the texture of the chicken. It certainly feels like I am actually eating something and tasting something.

               Traditionally, grilled chicken is made; by cutting up a whole chicken into smaller pieces which have even thickness to ensure that when on the grill the meat is done at the same time. These pieces of chicken, bone-in, are simply marinated with traditional herbs used by our forefathers. These herbs and spices consist of garlic, pepper corns, coriander roots and salt or fish sauce. A small amount of fresh turmeric is added. The mixture is pounded in a pestle and mortar to release the essential oils in the garlic and the coriander roots.

               Once a paste is achieved, it is rubbed all over the chicken pieces and allowed to marinate over night. If fish sauce is used for a more pronounced scent, it is added directly to the chicken pieces. This combination of herbs is very common and has always been on Thai menu but as time passes Thai shorten the name of this recipe to “gratiem prik thai” which means anything fired or grilled with garlic and peppercorns. Cooks these days who did not study the old recipes conveniently omitted the all important coriander roots, which gives the dish it’s added scent and flavor.

               I love this recipe so much because it demonstrates the wisdom of our culinary culture. Garlic is known as the poor man’s medicine. Since ancient times it is regarded as having healing properties. Our people also knew this and used in our food not only medicinal purposes but also for masking the taste of meat or fish that is not so fresh and enhancing its flavor. In using peppercorns in this simple recipe the appetite is stimulate because that is one of the properties of peppercorns. It also gives out a wonderful aroma and flavors.

               The use of coriander roots, rounds out the aromas of the marinade and made to fresh tasting without being overbearingly spicy. Middle Eastern and European cuisine uses coriander seeds, which are a lot more pungent than the roots and when you ground up dry coriander seeds you have a powder which thickens when liquid is added under heat. The end result of using coriander seeds would be a heavier tasting dish, more difficult to digest.

               At this grilled chicken stand which grill chicken from the back of the pick-up truck; they still do their chicken the old fashion way. They used all ingredients mentioned except instead of turmeric for yellow color they now use natural food coloring which when exposed to direct heat will turn golden yellow.

               They marinate their chicken over night and bring it from the countryside early in the morning to set up the grill and sell it at the entrance to this housing project. No stall, no tables and you can’t sit down and eat it there. Most people usually stop by in their cars and buy it to eat at home. Being the greedy person that I am, I always park the car near the pick-up and eat it by the curb.

               I suggest that if you really want to appreciate the flavor and aromas of this “kratien prik thai” combination you should try to do it yourselves at home. It’s very easy. Try it with shrimp. Take 4-5 cloves of garlic and peel them, 10 to 15 peppercorns, black or white is o.k. and 3 pieces of coriander roots chopped up; place all these ingredients in a pestle and mortar and pound them to a paste.

               Spoon this paste into a small dish and reserve. Put a saute pan on the stove. Add vegetable oil and allow to get hot. Add the paste to the hot oil and stir quickly do not allow to brown or burn. Add 250 grams of peeled shrimps and saute until just pink. Season with a little fish sauce and a squeeze of lime and take off heat. Served over hot steamed rice!!!! Ah what aroma and what a simple way to cook.

               For those of you who like really rich food the coral (fatty yellow liquid at the head of the shrimp) of Thai shrimps can be added. This gives the dish a totally different dimension especially pleasing for those who are not afraid of cholesterol. But if you want something lighter you can always use this paste to marinate whole fish, which have been scored on either side and either wrap it in banana leaves and grill it or deep-fry it. It’s heavenly!