• Starting with the marinade, this can be made with a traditional mortar and pestle, or you can use a food processor. If using coriander seeds, toast them for a few minutes in a dry skillet over medium heat, until you can small them. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
• If using a whole stalk of lemongrass, remove some of the dry, outer layers. Cut the tip off the bottom, then chop off everything above 4-5 inches from the root end. Finely chop the softer usable part of the lemongrass and set aside.

Mortar & Pestle:

• Add the cooled 1 teaspoon of coriander seeds and 1 ½ teaspoons of white peppercorns to the mortar and grind them into powder. Add the chopped lemongrass, 6 garlic cloves, and ½ cup chopped cilantro stems and leaves. Pound and grind them into a pulpy, paste like consistency. Adding a pinch of kosher salt here can add an extra abrasiveness to help grind.
• From here, add the 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 tablespoon black soy sauce, 2 tablespoons neutral oil, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, and 2 tablespoons palm sugar and gently mix them in the mortar or dump the paste into a bowl and mix the rest of the ingredients in with a spoon or whisk.

Food Processor:

• If using a food processor instead, be sure to grind the coriander seeds and white peppercorns in a spice grinder beforehand. Add all the ingredients to the bowl of the food processer, and pulse until the lemongrass, garlic, and cilantro are finely chopped. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice while processing.
• Once the marinade is ready, prepare the chicken. You can add chicken to a large zipper loc bag, or a deep baking dish or roasting pan. Add the marinade and make sure the chicken is fully coated on all sides. This isn’t a super wet marinade, so just be sure to spread things around evenly. If using a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• The chicken benefits from a longer marinading time. At the absolute least, it should marinate for 2-4 hours. If you’re not pressed for time though, I recommend marinading at least overnight and for up to 48 hours.

Cooking Gai Yang:

• Once the chicken has marinated, remove from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for at least 15-20 minutes (if you’re grilling the chicken, leave at room temperature for 45 minutes to an hour) while you preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set a cooking rack inside it and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
• Bake the chicken for 35-40 minutes, then allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Because chicken can vary in size, be sure to start checking around 30 minutes in, and use a quality instant read thermometer. For breasts, cook to about 155-160°F and for thighs and legs to about 165-170°F. Carry over cooking will continue heating it to the proper temperature without drying the chicken out.

Making the Dipping Sauce:

• Start with the toasted rice powder. In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of jasmine or sticky rice. Toast it, stirring or shaking the pan often, until the rice turns a golden, almost dark brown color and smells like popcorn almost on the edge of burning.
• Remove from the pan immediately to stop the cooking and allow to cool for a few minutes. Once cooled, crush into a powder with a mortar and pestle, or use a spice grinder.
• In a bowl, add 3 tablespoons tamarind paste, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, and 1 tablespoon palm sugar. Stir or whisk together until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Add 1 tablespoon diced shallot and 1 teaspoon chili flakes and stir to combine. A little before serving, add in the tablespoon of diced green onion, finely chopped cilantro, and toasted rice powder, stirring again to combine.
• Store the nam jim jaew in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.