Elephant Thai (Thai Grilled Chicken)

LTH,

Got a call last week from Apinya, aka Ann, owner of Elephant Thai in Edgebrook, that the special of the day was Thai Grilled Chicken (Kai Yaang). Earlier in the summer we had been discussing Thai Grilled Chicken and Apinya said when she made a batch she would call.


Both Steve Z and I are fans of Elephant Thai, which is a fairly new Thai restaurant in Edgebrook. The owner, Apinya, an accomplished home cook, always felt the desire to own a restaurant and when her son went off to college felt it was the time. In just a couple of months she is really hitting her stride. For example Elephant Thai's larb is consistently good, very herbal with a nice hit of ground toasted rice.


Elephant Thai's papaya salad is quite good as well. Hand cut, nice crunch, good flavor and, if you desire, spicy hotness.


Apinya, the owner, with sticky rice, which is typically available.


Moo Ping is quite good as well.


Apinya, who is extremely nice, seemed in quite the generous mood last week as, not only did she give Steve and I a grilled pork chop to try.


She offered us dessert on the house. An interesting combination of rice flour crepe wrapped around mung bean, topped with fresh shredded coconut, sugar and white and black sesame seeds.


One slight caution, do not go to Elephant Thai expecting Thai Grilled chicken, or for that matter Thai Fried Chicken, the grilled was special for that day and Elephant Thai does not make Thai Fried Chicken.

Even without two of my favorite chicken dishes I highly recommend Elephant Thai. Clean, friendly, inexpensive, good solid Thai Food.

Enjoy,
Gary

Elephant Thai
5348 W Devon
Chicago, IL
773-467-1168

Oh man, that grilled chicken looks incredible, almost like the Lemongrass Chicken at my Manhattan favorite, Saigon Grill. If Elephant Thai won't serve it on a regular basis, who in the city will?

Really nice pics, more proof that the Flash Off button is your friend.

Evan B. Druce wrote:Oh man, that grilled chicken looks incredible, almost like the Lemongrass Chicken at my Manhattan favorite, Saigon Grill. If Elephant Thai won't serve it on a regular basis, who in the city will?

Evan

Siam's House in Nile's offered Thai grilled chicken as a blackboard special all summer. Last time I was there our waitress said they, Siam's House, were going to keep Thai grilled chicken as a regular menu item, though I'd call first just to check.

Here's a short review I wrote of Siam's House. Though, since you are obviously a chicken guy, I should mention Siam's House does a mean Thai fried chicken.

Enjoy,
Gary

Siam's House
7742 N Milwaukee Ave
Niles, IL 60714
847-967-2390

LTH,

Ate lunch at Elephant Thai earlier in the week and Ann had just made a batch of Nam Pla Wan, which is a slightly sweet, with a hit of sour/salty/hot, jam like paste for dipping sour fruits. She served the Nam Pla Wan in a small dish set on a plate ringed with green, unripe, mango slices.

What a wonderful combination of flavor and texture. Ann commented she also likes Nam Pla Wan as a dip for green apple or fresh grilled prawns.

Nam Pla Wan is not on the menu, though I'm sure Ann will be happy to serve it to anyone who asks, long as her supply holds out.

Enjoy,
Gary

Arroy, arroy. Gary, do you have a favorite place for Gai yang, the apotheosis of chicken? Or maybe just a place that serves a good version regularly. Heck, I should just go make the acquaintance of Apinya.

Choey wrote:Arroy, arroy. Gary, do you have a favorite place for Gai yang, the apotheosis of chicken? Or maybe just a place that serves a good version regularly. Heck, I should just go make the acquaintance of Apinya.

Choey,

Elephant Thai makes a good version, though only when Apinya, or more accurately her husband as he is the grill man, is in the mood. Siam's House typically has Gai yang, made on a in-kitchen gas grill, it's a good version, but nothing more. I don't believe I've ever seen Gai yang on, or off, any other Chicago Thai restaurant's menu.

Typically, when I am in the mood for Thai grilled chicken, I simply make it myself.



Saveur, in their '03 June/July Isaan article, is the recipe I use most often, though I also like David Thompson's recipe in Thai Food (# 503). I stick with the standards couple of sauces, sticky rice/papaya salad, sometimes Thompson's Cucumber and Shredded Dried Prawn Salad.



Additional Thai grilled chicken pictures may be found here

Far as you making the acquaintance of Apinya, absolutely. The two of you would get along famously.

Enjoy,
Gary

Elephant Thai
5348 W Devon
Chicago, IL
773-467-1168

Siam's House
7742 N Milwaukee Ave
Niles, IL 60714
847-967-2390

I can't easily lay my hands on either of your recipe references, but here's how I marinaded faux-Thai chicken recently for my WSM (courtesy of Adam Powers of Portland, ME, by way of Bangkok):

1 Tbs minced garlic
1/2 Tbs white pepper
2 Tbs chopped cilantro root
2 Tbs nam pla (fish sauce)
1 Tbs Maggi sauce
2 Tbs oyster sauce
2 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs turmeric
1 Stalk lemon grass finely minced

I marinaded legs and thighs for 6 hours then smoked them (no hickory: I don't know what a Thai would use). The chicken was good and my guests professed to like it (what else were they going to say: free food and good wine while my three-headed dog, Maynard G. Kerberos, glared at them), but not the sort of gai yang I remember from Thailand and to which I aspire in vain.

BTW, based on your photo, you got a lot of miles on that WSM. I'm so crazy about mine, I'm thinking of having it chromed.

Gary,

Just a WSM-technie question: are your coals on the 2nd rack on this occasion? Did you fill the ring or only half way? No wood added for flavoring?

The WSM learning process never ends. Sure I am a graduate of the 5-step, but as Gary likes to chide, "I know everything you know, but you don't know everything I know!"

Regards,

Choey,

Nice sounding recipe, I'll try it next time out. Far as how they do it in Thailand, it's my impression, though you'd be better able to address this than me, they use smaller birds and a fairly hot fire. I've done Thai grilled chicken with Cornish hens in the past and it worked quite well.

Yep, my WSM has a few miles on it, 8-years worth. Bruce Cook estimated, last year, that I had cooked 2-tons of meat on a single WSM. Not so sure about that, but it has gotten a workout.




I now have 2 WSMs, well 3 if you count the one still in box in the basement, and the original still works perfectly. Chrome your WSM, don't know about that, maybe racing stripes.

Enjoy,
Gary

Cathy2 wrote:Gary,

Just a WSM-technie question: are your coals on the 2nd rack on this occasion? Did you fill the ring or only half way? No wood added for flavoring?

C2,

Coals are on the 2nd rack, along with a charcoal grate set so it forms a cross-hatch to the 2nd rack. I also use/start with the charcoal ring. For chicken pieces I fill the ring about 1/3 full of lump, get a 2/3's full of lump Weber chimney starter going and then pour the fully engaged charcoal on in the ring.

Once I've poured on the lit lump from the Weber Chimney starter I (carefully) remove the ring and spread out the coals. This increases the cooking/grilling area. Depending on my mood and type of meat I may add a smallish chunk of wood.

Fire on the 2nd grate of a WSM, cooking on top grate, gives you about 8-9 inches, depending on height of fire, from coals to meat. Perfect for chicken pieces/sausage links, not steaks, which require intense heat or large roasts, which need a greater distance from the fire.

And it's, "I taught you everything you know, but not everything I know."

Enjoy,
Gary

And it's, "I taught you everything you know, but not everything I know."

I remain humbled.

Regards,

I'm thinking that a standard Weber Kettle would work just as well, if not better, for this high heat method...plus you can fit a lot more chicken on the grate.

stevez wrote:I'm thinking that a standard Weber Kettle would work just as well, if not better, for this high heat method...plus you can fit a lot more chicken on the grate.

Z,

Yes and no, a standard Weber kettle is terrific for grilling, but with the fire on the second grate of a WSM you get a wee bit more distance from fire to grate. I like the slight additional distance for chicken pieces and sausage links.

Frankly the main advantage, for me, in using my WSM for grilling is I can leave my Weber kettle, which I have one of as well, in the garage. My wife seems to be happiest when there is only one grill/smoker/turkey fryer in plain sight.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:Yes and no, a standard Weber kettle is terrific for grilling, but with the fire on the second grate of a WSM you get a wee bit more distance from fire to grate. I like the slight additional distance for chicken pieces and sausage links.

Well, here's one area where we are just going to have to differ. I'll take chicken grilled on my kettle any day of the week for the reasons outlined above (capacity and heat level). The distance from the coals is not an issue for me. As someone once told me, it's all about fire control. Also, I've got lots of room on my deck for the smoker and the kettle with nary a complaint from the wife. She much prefers chicken form the grill (as I do). I'd be curious to hear from Choey as to how far the chicken is from the coals in the er-Chicken prep he saw in Thailand.

stevez wrote:The distance from the coals is not an issue for me. As someone once told me, it's all about fire control. Also, I've got lots of room on my deck for the smoker and the kettle with nary a complaint from the wife.

Z,

Grilling chicken on a Weber kettle works best, for me at least, with a very low and/or two level fire. A two level fire cuts into capacity and the low fire takes more maintenance and is still susceptible to burning. Whereas the greater distance using the lower cooking grate of a WSM as a fire grate is the perfect distance.

Have you actually tried using the lower cooking grate of your WSM as the fire grate for grilling chicken?

I should add over the years I've grilled up a few flocks of chickens on various Weber kettles. In fact the very first purchase, and meal we made, when moving into our house from a high rise, was a Weber Kettle and chicken.

It's just that, given a choice, I ever-so-slightly prefer grilling chicken/sausage using the lower cooking grate of my WSM as a fire grate. And, since I do have the choice, that is what I use.

Far as multiple cookers, I have room for more than one WSM/cooker, it's the "nary a complaint" aspect where we differ.

Enjoy,
Gary

LTH,

Apinya of Elephant Thai occasionally makes an off the menu dish or three for regular customers, last night it was Northern Pork Stew, Duck Soup and Thai Fried Chicken. All three were above reproach, really quite delicious.

Steve Z had requested Apinya's Duck Soup.


Apinya also made Northern Pork Stew.


And Thai Fried Chicken, which I keep asking her, to no avail, to put on the regular menu.


All three dishes were wonderful, in particular the Thai Fried Chicken which compares favorably with the best versions in town.

It's really nice to have Elephant Thai in my neighborhood, in fact I'd nominate them for an LTHForum GNR if Steve Z hadn't already beat me to the punch last go-around.

Enjoy,
Gary