Seur Rong Hai (Crying Tiger)

Courtesy Su-Mei Yu's Cracking the Coconut (Morrow, 2000)

Rated 5 stars out of 5
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Makes 6 servings
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This dish is a true Bangkok creation because of its intense flavors. The chiles must be hot enough to make one howl like a tiger but, at the same time, balanced with a blend of sweet-salty flavors to lessen the fire. Fresh peppercorns give a lingering sense of warmth.

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons dried green peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon Big Four Paste
  • 10 cloves garlic, 5 minced, 5 unpeeled, lightly crushed
  • 3 to 20 fresh bird chiles or 2 to 15 serrano chiles, minced
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless large chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce (namm pla)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • Water as needed
  • 2 tablespoons crispy pork rinds, crushed to the consistency of coarse cornmeal
  • 20 sprigs cilantro, coarsely chopped

Directions

In a small skillet, dry-roast the green peppercorns over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Put the Big Four Paste and the minced garlic in a mortar and pound until blended into a paste. Add the unpeeled garlic cloves and pound until the garlic and peels are blended into the paste. Do not worry if the membrane is separated from the cloves. (You may want to remove the peel; I encourage you to try it the authentic Thai way. It may seem unusual, but the reward is the wonderful texture and added taste of crispy garlic peel.) Add the chiles and continue pounding. Add the green peppercorns and, instead of pounding, crush them by pressing them against the side of the mortar in a circular motion. Transfer the paste to a small bowl and set aside. The paste will keep well in a jar with a tight-fitting lid in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.

Trim any fat from the chicken breast. Cut the breast in half. Working with one half breast at a time, slice horizontally almost but not quite in half. Open the meat up into a butterfly shape. Put your hand firmly on top of the meat and press down on it to flatten it. Using a very sharp knife, held at a 75-degree angle to the work surface, slice thinly against the grain into 2 to 3 long pieces. Try to keep the pieces the same size and thickness. Set aside on a plate.

Arrange the ingredients near the stove in the order they will go into the skillet: oil, chile paste, chicken, fish sauce, sugar, and a small cup of water.

Heat a 12-inch skillet over high heat for 2 minutes, or until when you put your hand an inch or so above it, you can feel the heat. Add the oil, then add the chile paste, stirring it quickly, until it turns slightly brown and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken, lower the heat to medium, and sprinkle a bit of water into the pan to prevent the paste from burning. Try to keep the chicken pieces flat as you saute them to ensure even cooking. When the chicken is browned, push it to one side of the skillet and add the fish sauce and sugar to the center of the skillet. Stir and blend until the mixture bubbles, then push the chicken pieces into it while you continue to stir until the chicken is coated. If needed, sprinkle a bit more water to prevent sticking. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter, garnish with the crushed pork rind and cilantro, and serve hot.

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Read all 3 reviews

  • on May 05, 2011

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    Easy Incredible Version: Marinate a flank steak in equal parts fish sauce & soy sauce with a little sugar. Grill it. Use a food processor. Throw in: Serranos (I used 2 whole, about 1/4 cup crushed red pepper, 2 heads of roasted garlic, 1" piece ginger, ground black pepper and almost an entire bunch of cilantro leaves. Add around 1-2T of sugar & 2-3T sweet Chili sauce. Add soy sauce & fish sauce in about a 1/2 or 2/3 ratio. Juice of about 3-4 limes and blend the heck out of it. Adjust the Soy, Fish Sauce and Lime juice till it is thin enough. It is awesome straight from the processor! Makes a lot. This version has been tried and used successfully several times and is based on viewing many Tiger Cried Recipies. I promise it is amazing, and pretty much no-fail. You can serve it w/rice in a lettuce cup or chopped lettuce for a healthy salad. You won't regret it.

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  • on March 16, 2010

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    I looked this up after seeing Crying Tiger Pork on the show "The Best Thing I ever Ate" - and tried it. It was great! WOW the flavor. This amt of garlic is sure to keep any sort of oncoming cold away. My husband can handle the heat way more than I can....but I enjoyed it. We used about 10 of the Thai chiles and just a crazy amt of garlic. ALSO I found a recipe for the BIG FOUR PASTE...just googled it. Will make again. I think we are going to take it as an appetizer to a party.

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  • on March 30, 2005

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    My fiance and I consider ourselves heavyweights when it comes to spicy foods, and love everything Thai. The flavor of this dish is fantastic, but prepare for your nose to run and your eyes to water!

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