Crispy Garlic Chicken Bites (Kuah Gai Tod)

steps

Make the Garlic Chicken Bites

1. In a large bowl, combine the chicken with the garlic, oyster sauce, Thai seasoning sauce, sugar, and white pepper. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to marinate.
2. Pour enough oil to come 1 inch (2.5 cm) up the sides of a large saucepan. Heat to 325 degrees when measured with a deep-fry thermometer.
3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and, using paper towels, pat dry to remove any excess marinade.
4. Working in small batches (you want plenty of room for the chicken pieces to move in the oil), gently add the marinated chicken to the hot oil and fry until the chicken is opaque, about 1½ minutes. Using a spider or metal slotted spoon, carefully remove them from the oil, transfer to a wire cooling rack, and let rest for 3 minutes. Bring the oil back to 325 degrees and fry the remaining chicken.
5. After resting, return the chicken, again in batches, to the 325 degree oil and fry until browned and cooked through (with an internal temperature of 165 degrees when measured with an instant-read thermometer, 2 to 3 minutes). Note: If you don’t wish to fry the chicken a second time, you can finish cooking the chicken in a preheated 350 degree oven until cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Make the Dried Chile Sauce

1. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, fish sauce, tamarind, Thai seasoning sauce, garlic, ginger, and prik pohn and whisk until the sugar is fully dissolved, about 3 minutes.
2. Sprinkle with khao kuah before serving, if desired. Store in an airtight container (like a lidded glass jar) in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Make the Sticky Rice

1. In a fine-mesh sieve, rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Place the rinsed rice in a rice cooker in an even layer, pour 2½ cups water over the rice, and press ‘cook’ following the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the cooker alerts you that the rice is fully cooked, take a fork and fluff the rice. Keep it covered and leave the cooker set to warm until time for serving.
2. To cook rice on a stovetop, rinse the rice and place it in a medium saucepan. Add 2½ cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, cover the pot, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the rice grains are fully cooked and all the water is absorbed. Fluff the rice with a fork and keep covered until ready to serve. Store leftover cooked rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Make the Toasted Rice Powder

1. In a dry skillet, toast the rice over low heat, tossing, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. In a mortar with pestle or spice grinder, grind the toasted rice until the texture is similar to coarse sand, 3 to 5 minutes in a mortar (and roughly 30 seconds in a spice grinder).Store in an airtight container (like a lidded glass jar) for up to 6 months.