Thai Sunday roast

Another in my series of a fusion approach to the British tradition of the Sunday roast, this Thai Sunday roast—with chicken—is a fusion Sunday meal influenced throughout by Thai cooking, an easy way to make a Sunday fixture a little different. A spiced Thai rice stuffing, sweetcorn fritters, peanut and ginger roast potatoes and Thai style vegetables.

Jump straight to the ingredients and cooking method

Reframing the Sunday roast... again

A while back, I started messing about with the British tradition of the Sunday roast. Like millions of others who grew up within extended British culture, not only in the UK, but across the commonwealth—practically any country that had once been a British colony—this Sunday institution is deeply familiar, even when living in places where its heavy fare of roasted meat, potatoes and other root vegetables, Yorkshire puddings and other "trimmings", all bathed in rich gravies, are at odds with the climate.

This tradition of roasted meats eaten as a Sunday lunch long predates Britain's colonial aspirations or, indeed, the long-dominant Protestant religion. Dating back to the Middle Ages, it's another one of those European dishes that has its origins as meals that could cook away in the oven while the whole household traipsed off to church.

But, the "traditional British Sunday roast"as we know it today dates from the Victorian and Edwardian eras when the emphasis shifted away from it as a reviving meal after enduring long church services to a demonstrative manifestation of the "family values" ushered in by the Victorians. Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's consort, lubricated in an era when even the monarchy would cherish the sanctity of family—both his and his wife's early family life had not been happy—and other Victorian values such as moderation, decorum and restrained religious observance on Sundays. It was part of what made him so popular with the burgeoning middle classes of the era. Politicians—even those who had been at the heart of Georgian court life—gauged the temperature of the country to reject the hypocrisy, excesses, sexual promiscuity and drunken tomfoolery of the upper classes during the previous epoch. And so, the ideology and policy of "Victorian values" was born.

The Sunday roast was at the heart of this, a time each week when the entire family would gather to share a meal—inviting non-family guests was not encouraged—after church. The custom was also adopted by poorer households that would make use of communal ovens to cook their meal, often not having one of their own.

The Sunday roast also became doctrinaire as part of Britain's colonial machinery. From Nairobi to Sydney, Toronto to Rangoon, Sunday roasts signalled the undying pride of colonial technocrats, soldiers or engineers as subjects of the empire on which the sun never set. In some colonies, they found it very convenient that their non-Christian household staff would do all the cooking while they attended Sunday service. The tragicomic cliché of colonial wives steeped in gin complaining that when a cook departed, "One can barely bear thinking about how long it will take someone new to get a Sunday roast just right"is only a cliché because of the truth at the heart of it.

"Perhaps it even tastes better because Thailand was never colonised by a European power"

And, like many traditions emblematic of British culture, over time it became a double-edged sword, a valued time with a loving family for some, a dreaded obligation for those with families fraught with conflict or tensions or indeed, the platform it gave to patriarchs to wield their authority. This continued right up until recent decades. Indeed, there are still some families for whom it is sacrosanct. But, things have changed.

In the former colonies, even in the eras when the Sunday roast was still a family obligation, the original tradition evolved new traditions, often reflecting local ingredients—guinea fowl, roast pineapple or sweet potatoes, anyone?—or the pudding course changing—spotted dick and sticky toffee pudding giving way to Pavlova or malva pudding.

And, back in Blighty, things changed too. Families that still convene regularly on Sundays might opt to book a table at a local gastropub for their roasts, reflecting the changing role of mothers in the whole affair. Or, in cities to which many people have moved, far from their families, where it has long been noted that friends have replaced a lot of family social roles, home-cooked or pub-booked, the Sunday roast has become something shared with the family you choose, not the one into which you were born. And, even decades ago, the appearance of a nutroast on a Sunday roast menu stopped being a curiosity.

"In real terms, traditional British cuisine was 'the exotic' in our homes given the general pattern of dishes eaten during any given week."

Yet, despite the shift in social values and circumstances, the format of the Sunday roast has never been more popular. Statistically, the Sunday roast remains one of the most popular meals, netting the best takings, for restaurants, pubs and gastropubs that offer it across the British Isles. Within this enduring demand, word of mouth is everything with pubs that have established a reputation for their roasts warning that if you haven't booked by midweek, you don't stand a chance of your party getting a table on Sunday.

Furthermore, it's not just the British who are eager to experience it. From rich American tourists in the West End to ex-pat hipster Spanish, Italian or South American artists knocking about in Hackney, this is a British food tradition that many seem to agree is good food.

Endless Sunday roasts

I wouldn't say I have a love-hate relationship with the Sunday roast. It's more like a love-tedium relationship. For someone who travelled extensively from when he was barely a few months old and also experienced cuisines from all around the world at home, I also grew up in households that were oddly traditional about Sunday roasts. They never deviated more than the occasional cauliflower au gratin. Don't get me wrong: I actually love a good Sunday roast and somehow enjoyed that they were kept tight-to-form. After all, my father would cook Cantonese, Italian, Japanese or Indian cuisine—and do so well—at the drop of a hat.

In real terms, traditional British cuisine was "the exotic" in our homes given the general pattern of dishes eaten during any given week. So I rather appreciated it; a bit like a nudge in the ribs reminding me of a substantial part of my DNA that might have otherwise drifted out of mind.

I also enjoyed that they would often be meals to which extended family—aunts, uncles, cousins and the grandes dames of the older generation—were invited, which made them exciting and fun. And equally, even today when cooking a traditional roast for friends or family, I see clearly how it remains a perennial crowd-pleaser.

But, I always wondered why all those other culinary influences that landed on our family table never seemed to impact. So, a while back, I started messing about with the form, shaking it up a bit. Using the traditional format of a Sunday roast, I looked to create versions that are influenced by other cuisines. And, it seems to have struck a chord—my recipes for an Indian Sunday roast remains the all-time most visited page on this site with the longest dwell time and the recipes eliciting the highest number of private messages sent to me. So, they have kind of evolved into a little "series". This Thai version is the latest.

Perhaps it even tastes better because Thailand was never colonised by a European power.

Take note

This meal is written as a recipe in quantities for about four to six adult diners. But, please note that the images show something slightly different, cooked in a smaller quantity for fewer people. Thus, they are indicative not definitive.

At these quantities, this is a very fragrant but mild meal in terms of spices. It's intentional. As a kind of musing on fusion cuisine, I have resisted my own temptation and dialed back the spiciness. Of course, there's nothing to stop you using more chillies if you you prefer more heat in your dish.

3 top tips to get this recipe right:

• It's essential that you use a thick Thai red curry paste for this meal and not the watery variety sold in most Western supermarkets—more of a pre-made sauce than a paste. I am using Mae Ploy Red Curry Paste which is produced in Thailand but available around the world in specialist Asian supermarkets or online. Alternatively you can make your own from scratch using this recipe used for another Thai dish on this site.

• For the stuffing, it is essential that you use a combination of Thai sticky rice and a rice in its husk or else it will become too stodgy. I am using authentic Thai red rice (also known as purple or Imperial rice). Though available through specialist Asian retailers in many places, it is not as easily available as many other Thai products. If you have problems finding it, simply substitute with the same quantity of wild rice, red Camargue rice, Italian Riso Venere rice or Spanish arroz negro.

• Do NOT roast the potatoes and the chicken in the same roasting pan. Not only does this make the flavours all roll into one, but the chicken juices will prevent the potatoes—cooked in plant-based oil—from properly crisping and it will also make the gravy "cloudy".

Shopping list

for the Thai Sunday roast chicken and stuffing

• One chicken of a size to feed all diners

• 2 tbspns Thai red curry paste

• Approx. 40g roast chicken-flavour crisps (aka potato chips)

• ½ cup Thai red rice; cooked and drained

• ½ cup Thai sticky rice; cooked and drained

• 2 echalion shallots (or an onion); diced

• 1 small red bell pepper; cubed

• 2 Thai hot red chillies; deseeded and chopped

• A clutch of fresh coriander

• A generous sprig of Thai sweet basil

• 1 stick of fresh lemongrass; cut into 2 large segments; bruised

• 1 small fresh lime

• ½ tspn Thai fish sauce (optional)

• Salt and black pepper to season

• A little peanut oil or sunflower oil

for the peanut and ginger roast potatoes

• Approx. 500 to 750g potatoes; peeled and cut into large pieces

• Approx. 4 tbspns plain white flour

• 2 tspns ground ginger powder

• ½ cup roasted peanuts; finely ground, by hand or in a mini chopper

• 1 tspn turmeric powder

• 4 or 5 tbspns peanut oil (or sunflower oil)

• Salt to taste

for the sweetcorn fritters (tod man khao pod)

• Approx. 350g sweetcorn; tinned or frozen and fully defrosted

• 2 tbspns plain flour

• 1 tbspn cornflour

• 1tbspn Thai red curry paste

• 2 eggs

• 3 spring onions, finely chopped

• 1 hot Thai red chilli; chopped (optional)

• 3 Makrut lime leaves; very finely chopped (or the zest of one lime)

• 1 tbspn Thai fish sauce (or 1 tspn salt)

• Enough peanut oil (or sunflower oil) for shallow frying

for the spicy Thai gravy

• The juices from both roasting dishes

• 1 diced echalion shallot

• The juice and pulp of 1 fresh lime

• 1 whole hot fresh Thai red chilli

• 1 to 2 tspns cornflour

for the Anglo-Thai vegetables

• 2 or 3 large carrots; peeled and cut into thin slices

• 2 handfuls of Thai pea aubergines; removed from stalks and rinsed

• Approx. 170g mangetout; topped-'n-tailed

• Approx. 500ml vegetable stock

• Salt and black pepper to taste

  
  

Cooking Method

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the Thai roast chicken and stuffing

1. Ensure that both the Thai red rice and sticky rice are fully cooled. In a small frying pan, sauté the shallots, bell pepper and red chillies in a little peanut oil until all are soft. Place to one side.

2. Crush approx. half of the roast chicken crisps using a pestle and mortar. Lay the chicken out on a large platter or preparation mat; cavity side facing upwards. With clean fingers, season the cavity with salt and pepper, then rub with Thai red curry paste. You can do the whole thing where you pinch and pull the skin away from the meat, which allegedly helps it crisp, but I have always found it makes no difference

3. With clean hands, rub the crushed roast chicken crisps all over the bird's skin as a seasoning rub. Collect what falls away and mix with the Thai red curry paste, then rub these together over the bird allowing the cornflake-like mix to stick here and there. These will crisp up during roasting

4. Mix the sticky rice, and sautéd peppers, garlic and chillies together and add to a mini chopper and chop . Add the Thai sweet basil, coriander and all remaining roast chicken crisps and chop. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the fish sauce (or salt) and the juice of one of the limes. Mix in the whole Thai red rice to complete the stuffing

5. Stuff one half of the (squeezed) lime into the far end of the bird's cavity. Lay the lemongrass segments on the floor of the cavity. Push the stuffing mix tightly into the bird's cavity, finally plugging with the other lime half. Tie the bird's legs together with cooking string to ensure it will not "leak" during cooking

6. Heat the peanut oil in a roasting dish as the oven pre-heats to 180℃. When hot, remove from the oven and coat the bird in the oil on all sides—by rolling with tongs or using a basting brush. Position the bird breast-side-down in the roasting pan—I prefer to place it on a silicon roasting rack that keeps it out of the oil—and cover loosely with kitchen foil. Roast for approx. 30mins in an oven at 180°C

7. Remove from the oven, turn over, and baste with the juices in the pan. Re-cover with the foil and cook for a further 30mins

8. Remove from the oven, remove the foil, and re-baste. Roast for a further 20min, breast-side-up, allowing the skin to crisp up. Once the skin is crisp, check that the bird is fully cooked through with a meat thermometer or that it produces clear juice when pierced. When cooked, remove from the oven and allow to rest, covering with the foil to keep warm

9. When all elements are ready, carve, plate and take to table or carve at table

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the peanut and ginger roast potatoes

1. The potatoes will take 40 to 50mins to roast optimally. Time your cooking to fit in with the roast chicken if using the same oven. Peel your potatoes and cut them into pieces ensuring they have angular edges. Parboil for about 4mins and drain

2. In a suitably large mixing dish, mix the ground ginger powder, finely ground peanuts, flour and turmeric powder, seasoning with a little salt and black pepper. While the oil is heating in the oven in a roasting dish (not the same one in which the chicken is roasting), roll all of the potatoes in this mix so that they are coated on all sides

3. When the oil is hot, remove the roasting dish from the oven and place your potatoes into the hot oil, turning using tongs so that they are coated on all sides. In doing this, the coating may appear to fall off. Do not worry about this

4. Place into an oven pre-heated to 180°C and do not disturb them for at least 20mins. You may notice a certain amount of "froth" forming around their edges. Again, do not worry

5. After 20mins, remove from the oven and turn over using tongs; then return to the oven. Repeat this after about another 10mins

6. If, after 50mins, the outsides are not yet crisp enough, increase the temperature to 200°C. If the chicken is still finishing, this should not be a problem if you are still crisping the skin. Simply remove the chicken once optimally cooked and allow to rest while the potatoes crisp up

7. When ready, plate or take to table on serving dish

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the sweetcorn fritters (tod man khao pod)

1. In a mixing bowl, mix the flour and cornflour. Squeeze the sweetcorn with clean hands to reduce excess water and to slightly bruise the kernels, then fold in. Add the chopped chopped chilli, finely chopped Makrut lime leaves and spring onions and fold in

2. Whisk the eggs in a cup or small bowl, slowly add to the bowl, interspersed with mixing in the Thai red curry paste Finally add the fish sauce (or salt, if preferred). You should net out at a fairly loose batter. If it seems too loose to shape using two spoons, sift in additional cornflour until solid enough to roughly shape

3. In a small frying pan, heat enough oil to shallow fry (i.e. enough to submerge half of the mass of each fritter) on a medium high heat. Too hot and they will burn on the outside while the inside remains undercooked. Similarly, I always do them in batches in a smaller pan because it's both less wasteful of oil and allows you to gauge the optimum heat after the first batch

4. Using two spoons, form little "cakes" and gently place them into the oil, cooking for roughly a minute on each side, turning with tongs halfway through or until golden brown on both sides

5. Remove with tongs or a sieve spoon and drain off the excess oil on kitchen paper towel. Keep warm in the oven until ready to plate or take to table on a serving platter

the Anglo-Thai vegetables

1. Bring the vegetable stock to a healthy simmer, adding about a cup of water. First add the carrots and Thai pea aubergines, then the mangetout about a minute later. You do not need to season (unless using a salt-free stock)

2. Simmer for about 5mins in total. Drain through a sieve or colander

3. Plate or place into a serving dish and take to table

the spicy Thai gravy

1. To a small saucepan—the kind for cooking sauces—add all of the juices from the chicken roasting pan (these are likely to be bright red because of the Thai red curry paste) then those from the potato roasting dish. Heat on a medium heat, adding in the diced shallot

2. When the shallot shows signs of softening, add the juice and pulp of the lime and stir almost continuously as it comes to the boil. Add the whole Thai red chilli

3. Keep stirring and add the cornflour, which should soon thicken the "gravy". You should not need to season it given the ingredients—but check. Reduce to a low heat as soon as it begins to thicken, stirring until you have optimal consistency (i.e. it should be similar to Chinese sweet 'n sour sauce)

4. Remove from the heat and pour into a suitable serving dish through a sieve, removing all the gritty bits. As it cools slightly, it should become a silky, semi-translucent sauce. Add the whole chilli as a garnish and take to table

Alternatives

Everything in this recipe is lacto-vegetarian except for the bird itself. I have certainly cooked versions using Quorn "chicken" fillets seasoned using the same ingredients. I have also made vegan versions whereby I used the stuffing recipe for the chicken here into a rice-based "nut roast" baked in the oven topped with chopped peanuts and shallots that crisp up as it bakes. You can also make sweetcorn fritters using only water rather than eggs or a little coconut milk to bind them, not uncommon in Thailand.

I have never made a pescatarian version of this recipe. However, I can imagine that it would work with a whole or substantial portion of salmon, skin on and not filleted so that the stuffing could go into the cavity. And, I'd use prawn cocktail-flavour crisps rather than chicken.

Pairings

I tend towards whites with Thai chicken dishes and I confess I lazily resort to my beloved South African chenin blancs, my go-to curry wines.

However, on this occasion, it proved excellent with Niepoort Diálogo Branco 2023, a Duoro white that cut through the spices with a palate-cleansing flurry of herbs and tangy apple. In hindsight, I should have known: produced by a Portuguese winery founded in 1842 by a Dutch immigrant, there is something in this wine that shares an affinity with Cape white wines.

If you want a red, I suggest a medium-bodied pinotage/pinot noir, but I have yet to try that option.

As with many other Thai dishes, this is also great with beer and, yes, I know it's a cliché, but it really does work very well with Chang Classic.