Kai yang or gai yang ( th, ไก่ย่าง, , literally meaning "grilled chicken"), also known as kai ping or gai ping ( th, ไก่ปิ้ง), or pīng kai ( lo, ປີ້ງໄກ່, ), is a dish originating from the Lao people of

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

and Isan (northeastern Thailand), but it is now commonly eaten throughout the whole of Thailand. The dish is a standard staple of

street markets A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...

and readily available at all times. Being a typical Laotian/Isan dish, it is often paired with green papaya salad and sticky rice (Thai/Isan: ข้าวเหนียว, ; lo, ເຂົ້າໜຽວ). It is also eaten with raw vegetables, and often dipped in spicy sauces such as Laotian

jaew bong Jeow Bong or Jaew Bong ( lo, ແຈ່ວບອງ, th, แจ่วบอง; ) also called Luang Prabang chili sauce is a sweet and savory Lao chili paste originating from Luang Prabang, Laos. Jeow Bong is made with sundried chilies, galangal, ...

. In Thailand, there are also many famous Thai Muslim varieties of ''kai yang'' which are not of Lao origin at all, but more akin to the grilled chicken from Malaysia.

Names

The Laotian name for the dish is pīng kai () and means "roast chicken". In Laotian restaurants in the West, it is known as "Laotian barbecued chicken" or "ping gai". The Thai and Isaan term is usually spelled ไก่ย่าง (''kai yang''; Isan: ), although ปิ้งไก่ (''ping kai''), a Thai letter rendering of the Laotian name, would be understood in Isan and in most of Thailand as well although to Thai ears it would sound a bit quaint, due to the slight grammatical difference between Thai and Laotian. Thais would put ''kai'' before ''ping'' rather than the other way round. In the West, where this dish often features on the menu of Thai restaurants, it is either known by its Thai name ''kai yang'' or as "Thai barbecued chicken".

Ingredients and preparation

A whole chicken is often halved and pounded flat. It is marinated and then grilled over a low heat on a charcoal flame for a long time, but is not cooked to be burnt or dry. The marinade typically includes fish sauce,

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus ''Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Allium fistulosum, Welsh onion and Allium chinense, Chinese onion. It is native to South A ...

, turmeric,

coriander Coriander (;

root (cilantro), and white pepper. Many variations exist, and it is also quite common to find black soy sauce, hoisin sauce, shallots, leaves and seeds of

coriander Coriander (;

, lemongrass, chilis,

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices ...

, vinegar,

palm sugar Palm sugar is a sweetener derived from any variety of palm tree. Palm sugar is sometimes qualified by the type of palm, as in coconut palm sugar. While sugars from different palms may have slightly different compositions, all are processed s ...

, and MSG.

References

* Tan, Terry. (2007). ''The Thai Table: A Celebration of Culinary Treasures.'' Marshall Cavendish. * Thompson, David. (2002). ''Thai Food: Arharn Thai.'' Ten Speed Press. * Brissenden, Rosemary. (2007). Southeast Asian food: Classic and Modern Dishes from Indonesia, Malaysia, Tuttle Publishing. * McDermoot, Nancie. (1992). Real Thai: The Best of Thailand's Regional Cooking. Chronicle Books. {{Chicken dishes, state=collapsed Isan cuisine Chicken dishes Barbecue Street food Lao cuisine

Names

Ingredients and preparation

See also

References