2019-02-01_Inside_Out

flat roast thai chook

SERVES 4-6 (plus 1-2 lunches)

paste

2 shallots

4 garlic cloves

2 tbsp galangal

2 tbsp ginger, grated

1 stalk lemongrass

6 coriander roots

2 kaffir lime leaves

1 tsp shrimp paste

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 limes, juiced

1 tsp coriander seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp sugar

Pepper

270ml can coconut cream

1 organic chook, spine removed and flattened,

2-3 cuts along the breast and 1 on the thighs

1 bunch Thai basil

½ bag bean sprouts (tails removed, if you have time)

2 limes, cut into wedges

rice veg

2 cups rice

1 leek, cut into ½cm rounds

2 lemongrass stubs, smashed

1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved

1 bunch baby bok choy, chopped into 2cm slices

3 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded

1 tsp Massel chicken stock (I like this one because I can recognise

all the ingredients and it’s vegetarian)

1 cup water

1. This is the easiest thing to prep. Make the paste on the weekend
   or when you can – just put all ingredients into a food processor and
   blend to a paste – and keep it tucked away. My paste is a red curry
   paste without the chilli, so the tiny folk of my house can dine. This one
   makes a happy jar full, of which I only used half for this recipe.


2. Mix paste with the coconut cream and pour it over the prepped
   chook the night before, in a zip-lock bag or covered tray.


3. For the rice veg, put all that great stuff, except the water, in
   a baking tray and cover.


4. So, getting home looks like this: Take food from fridge. Crank
   oven to 180°C. Pour wine. Tutor a child. Bathe another.


5. Add 1 cup of water to the rice. Put your marinating chicken
   on top (discard excess marinade or add some to the pan as well).
   Oil the chook and put it into the oven for 45 minutes.


6. I may be lazy when it comes to assembly, but some things you
   can’t skip. Herbs and fresh things should be crunchy. So if at some
   point early on in the piece, you can throw some picked basil and bean
   sprouts into a large pool of water and ice, then you will be happier.


7. Serve with fresh herbs and lime wedges and carve the chook
   directly in the pan. The rice will be chewy on the edges (à la its
   Spanish friend, paella) and lovely and soft under the chook. All the
   flavour and the mess contained in a single pan. #goals

I

make food look great for a living – for magazines, for

TV commercials, for social media. It’s a fun job, but at the end

of the day, the first thing I like to think about (aside from my

family, of course) is, “What’s for dinner?” An instant relaxer for

me is the starting steps of making a meal. I realise this isn’t

everyone’s instinct, but we all have to do it. So, about a year

ago, I started my own Instagram feed, titled Every Night Of The Week

(@everynightoftheweek). It’s an honest, live view of what my family

eats. I post four nights a week, Monday to Thursday, plus a few

other times – because even though I feed everyone every night of

the week, I just don’t need the pressure of posting it every night of the

week! It’s slap-dash and fast, and in my commentary there are all the

ups and downs of a full-time worker by day, and cook, manager and

HR department to a family of five outside of business hours. You can

tell when I’m tired, or excited, or fed up. I hope you find inspiration

here, even if it’s just to create a better shortcut to a better dinner.

136 / Inside Out