Chicken in Green Pepper Corns and coconut milk

Serve this Vietnamese chicken recipe with crisp baguette for a delicious family meal.

This recipe was sent to me by a very good friend of mine from Vietnam. He didn’t let me put his name here but he said he is very fond of couple of chicken dishes from Vietnam and would send another recipe soon. The specialty of this chicken is that it uses coconut juice in large quantities during its preparation which makes it very healthy as we all know how healthy coconut milk is. This dish does not use much of oil, so even those who are watching their weight can also eat it in moderation. The various spices in the chicken give it a unique oriental flavor.

1. Chicken: 1 cleaned properly and chopped in two quarters. Make sure it is big chicken about 3 pounds or 1.5 hg.
2. Coconut Juice or milk: 2 liters
3. Garlic: 2 Tbsp finely chopped.
4. Spring onions: 8 peeled. If you can get red spring onions or shallots then it are better otherwise any would do.
5. Onion: ½ red cut in to wedges.
6. Tomatoes: 4 chopped.
7. Carrot: 1 red cut in to cubes.
8. Green Pepper Corns: 55 grams or about 2 Oz
9. Fish Sauce: 4 tbsp.
10. Vegetable oil: 2 Tsp.
11. Annatto Oil: 1 Tsp.
12. Baguette: 4
13. Sugar: 2 Tsp
14. Salt: 3 Tsp or as per taste.

1. Take a mortar and pestle.
2. Put half of the green pepper corns in it and bruise them lightly.
3. Put these in to a large bowl.
4. Add garlic, 2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp sugar and chicken pieces in it.
5. Now with hands apply these on the chicken thoroughly.
6. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for one hour, so the chicken absorbs all the aroma and taste of the marinade.
7. Now on high heat put Vegetable oil in a large pan.
8. When oil is heated then add garlic and remaining green pepper. Fry them till it gives fragrance of the garlic and pepper.
9. Let the chicken cook for few minutes till chicken starts getting brown.
10. Add annatto oil and stir.
11. Now add chopped tomatoes and cubed carrots and stir again.
12. Now add coconut juice, spring onions, fish sauce and remaining salt and sugar.
13. Bring the mixture to boil. There would be some impurities which would rise to surface. Remove them.
14. Now turn the heat to low.
15. Let the chicken cook for about 40 minutes uncovered.
16. When chicken is cooked, garnish with remaining pepper corns and serve with crisp baguette.

Tip:

1. If you do not have baguette, then you can serve it with rice too.
2. The quantity of pepper corns can be decreased as per taste.