Grilled Thai Coriander Chicken

I am really excited to share another guest post with you today - this one is from my good friend and co-worker, Steve.  Steve is not a blogger, but he is a true food connoisseur at heart.  His skills in the kitchen are undeniable, and he is always making really amazing Thai foods and other Asian dishes.  He and I talk about food ALL the time (he says this below, but I thought I would repeat it for emphasis), so many of the recipes you see here on The Cilantropist have been discussed with Steve over a cup of coffee before we start the workday.  He has given me invaluable advice on most, if not all, of the Asian dishes I have featured here, including my recipe for Tom Yum Goong (Hot and Sour Soup with Prawns) and Turkey Larb.  In fact, sometimes he even brings me fresh kaffir lime leaves, limes, or lemongrass from his parent's garden up in LA.   


All of Steve's cooking is fantastic, but I know he is an expert grill master, so I asked him to share one of his summer recipes with you today.  This Grilled Thai Coriander Chicken is perfect for an end-of-summer backyard barbecue, or to make for the upcoming Labor Day weekend, or just to make on a weekday for dinner.  The chicken doesn't need to marinate for very long, and is extremely easy to make. And as a bonus, Steve also shared his recipe for a Green Salad with Thai-inspired Lime Dressing!  Together with some extra grilled veggies, this is basically the perfect family summer meal. 


This is Steve's first time posting here or ever, and this a fantastic post so let's show him some love!  I am sure you will enjoy this recipe and I hope he will share more in the future. 

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Since Amanda is toiling away everyday working on her PhD thesis, I have observed firsthand the craziness of finishing up and graduating.  I am actually her friend and neighbor in the lab (our desks are next to each other), and I love food.  We both talk about it ALL the time and share each recipes and experiences in cooking with each other.  I have to say, I am pretty lucky to be able to taste The Cilantropist’s food.  So when she asked me to do the guest post, I was both honored and apprehensive, since this is the first time I have ever written a food post.  I really like to cook and try new things, but taking pictures and cooking at the same time is definitely hard and I give props to everyone that does this.  


Now, onto the food!

Many times you have guests come over unexpectedly, or a lot of visitors, and you want to make them something good, but that is still simple enough to manage.  I came from a very big Chinese-Thai family and we often had family gatherings (either random or planned) at my Grandma’s house.  My dad has 7 brothers and sisters, so I have lots of cousins and we all gathered at Grandma’s house.  When I was a kid, I remember running around the house playing hide and seek, climbing trees, playing video games with my cousins, BUT in the background I could see that the kitchen and backyard was also active with my relatives cooking.  In particular, the grill was definitely being utilized and the smell of grilled meat and charcoal sticks to my mind whenever I think of Grandma’s house.  We aren’t unaccustomed to non-Asian foods or food snobs, but we just didn’t make your usual fare of burgers and hotdogs at our gatherings.  We all love to eat good food, and in particular, good Thai food.  


Being that we all lived and grew up in southern California, BBQ was definitely something we did a lot in the backyard during the cool summer evenings.  So this marinade for Grilled Thai Coriander Chicken that I rediscovered from my parents brings back many memories.  Not only is it very easy to prepare at short notice, but very versatile for grilling different kinds of meats.  I have never tried it with tofu, but maybe that would work as well.

For the chicken, the coriander-cilantro marinade is a very simple recipe and requires few ingredients, but the secret to making this marinade is in the preparation of some of the ingredients.  Coriander is just the seed of cilantro, so in this recipe you get double cilantro (which is, coincidentally, part of The Cilantropist’s namesake).  The seeds are dried and you can get it at any Mexican or Asian market, even many larger supermarkets such as Whole foods should have it.  The first thing you want to do is dry toast the seeds in a heavy pan for 5 minutes until you can smell the fragrant coriander, but NOT burned.  You need to shake the pan every once in awhile so that the coriander seeds are evenly toasted on all sides. 

Pasta with Scallops, Beurre Blanc, and Chive Buds

Sometimes life has a funny way of inspiring me. 

Last weekend, I had planned to make some smoky shrimp kebabs for a friend's birthday barbeque, so I headed down to Catalina Offshore.  I was hoping to score some nice large shrimp (about the 16-20 per pound size) that I could marinate and use for juicy kebabs, but it turned out that they had everything but what I needed.  Since I was there anyway (and they sell the most sustainable seafood in San Diego) I decided to pick up some of their bay scallops - I didn't really have a plan for them, but at $6.25 a pound, they were an inexpensive indulgence.   

Catalina Offshore bay scallops, sourced from sustainable fisheries in Mexico.

Now my problem was, I was excited about getting awesome scallops, but I still needed those shrimp; I had bought some pretty nice tiger prawns from the Asian market before, so I zoomed over there to continue my quest.  

(At this point I should probably mention that this was all happening early Saturday morning, at which time the Asian market is packed with families, old ladies, and generally no white girls like me.  I consider myself pretty fearless, but let me tell you, no matter how small he is, when an ancient Chinese man gives you a stern look that says, "What the hell are you doing in my market," it can make you shake in your boots.)  But I was on a mission, so I got in line, found exactly the shrimp I wanted, and headed to the checkout.  

On my way, I was (predictably) distracted by one magical treat after another, until I found I had wandered over to the produce section.  Immediately, these chive buds caught my eye because I had never seen them sold like this before.  I impulsively bagged them and added them to my cart, figuring some internet research would clue me in on how to cook them.   

Bundled Chinese chive buds from the Asian market.

Stems of the chives aren't hollow - making them a bit stiffer - and the flower buds are white.

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps with Noodles (aka Larb)

In case you haven't noticed yet, I am not a big meat eater.  Oh sure, I love a thick, juicy steak, or a beautiful roasted chicken, and there really is nothing like biting into a huge burger with all the fixings; but, on the whole, I don't actually eat that much meat on a regular basis.  There are many days when I have yogurt and granola for lunch, maybe eggs for dinner, or possibly just a big bowl of veggies with couscous or a salad.  These meals might not be terribly exciting or always representative of my inner foodie, but they keep me fed, and are quick, easy, and healthy.  To keep a rounded diet, I get a lot of my protein from eggs, dairy, beans, cheese, and fish (not all at once, of course), and I love vegetables and fruits so I eat those all the time.       

Although I eat this way intentionally to be healthy, to save time, and to be easy on the wallet, I am well aware that this type of eating can sometimes seem a little rabbit-like, and is certainly always not suitable for feeding friends, family, or one hungry Norwegian boyfriend.  I think most of the world likes to eat well-balanced meals, usually including a vegetable, a starch, and of course, meat.  Plus, I personally really do want to eat meat: I want to cook it well, and and enjoy a variety of types of meats.  So it is this type of thinking that drives me to make impulse purchases like leg of lamb, or ribeye steak, or ground organic turkey... and then try to dream up some way to prepare it.