Pandan-Wrapped Chicken (Gai Hor Bai Toey)

Marinated chicken parcels tied in fragrant pandan leaves and fried, served with a sweet sesame soy dip.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 50 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 1 hour 5 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Hard

Ingredients

  • 600g boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 4cm pieces
  • 12 pandan leaves, fresh or defrosted from frozen, about 40cm long
  • 4 coriander roots, or the lower stems, roughly chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 tsp white peppercorns
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 2 tsp caster sugar
  • 500ml vegetable oil, for frying
  • 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar, for the dip
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, for the dip
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Method

  1. Pound the coriander roots, garlic and white peppercorns to a rough paste in a pestle and mortar. Stir in the oyster sauce, light soy, sesame oil and sugar.

  2. Coat the chicken in the marinade and leave for at least 30 minutes.

  3. Wash the pandan leaves and pat dry. Lay a piece of chicken near the base of a leaf, fold the leaf over it, then wrap the leaf around the chicken and tie in a firm knot. Repeat with the remaining chicken, using a leaf for each parcel and trimming any extra length.

  4. For the dip, warm the dark soy and sugar with 2 tbsp water until the sugar dissolves. Cool, then stir in the sesame oil and sesame seeds.

  5. Heat the oil in a deep pan to 160°C. Fry the parcels in batches for 5 to 6 minutes, turning once, until the chicken is cooked through. The leaves will darken but stay intact.

  6. Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot. Each guest unwraps the leaf, which is not eaten, and dips the chicken in the sauce.