It may seem absurd, even insulting, to attempt to reduce an entire cuisine to a few flavors, but with just a handful of Thai ingredients—nearly all of which are available at most supermarkets—you can duplicate or even improve on many of the dishes found in your typical neighborhood Thai restaurant. A few ingredients will be unfamiliar to most American cooks, but no complicated techniques are involved in either preparation or cooking. This chicken dish, which can be taken in many directions, is a good example.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil

　　1/2 cup minced shallot

　　1 tablespoon minced garlic

　　1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh galangal or ginger

　　1 teaspoon minced fresh hot chile or hot red pepper flakes, or to taste

　　1 teaspoon ground turmeric

　　1 teaspoon ground coriander

　　1 teaspoon sugar

　　2 lemongrass stalks

　　One 3-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　1 tablespoon minced lime leaves or zest

　　2 tablespoons nam pla (fish sauce)

　　1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro for garnish

　　

Step 1

Put the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot, garlic, galangal, and chile and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender and the mixture pasty. Add the turmeric, coriander, and sugar and cook, stirring, for another minute. Trim the lemongrass stalks of their toughest outer layers, then bruise them with the back of a knife; cut them into sections and add them to the mixture along with 1 cup of water.

　　

Step 2

Add the chicken and turn it once or twice in the sauce, then nestle it in the sauce; season with a little salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat to low and cover the skillet. Cook, turning once or twice, until the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes. (You can prepare the recipe in advance up to this point; cover and refrigerate for up to a day, then reheat before proceeding.)

　　

Step 3

Uncover the skillet and raise the heat to medium-high; turn the chicken skin side down. Let most (but not all) of the liquid evaporate and brown the chicken just a little on the bottom. Stir in the lime leaves or zest and nam pla; taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary, then garnish and serve, with white rice.

　　

Variations

Step 4

This type of preparation is used with many different foods in both Thailand and Vietnam, and most of them not only adapt perfectly to this recipe but are faster to prepare.

　　

Step 5

Use boneless chicken, cut into chunks. Cook for only about 5 minutes after adding the chicken and bringing the liquid back to a boil. Or leave boneless breasts or thighs whole; cooking time will be about 10 minutes for breasts to 15 minutes for thighs.

　　

Step 6

Use whole shrimp or scallops or a combination. Cooking time will be about 5 minutes from the time the liquid returns to a boil.

　　

Step 7

Use chunks of boneless or bone-in pork like lean pork chops. Boneless pork will cook in about 10 minutes (from the time the liquid returns to a boil), bone-in in about 20 minutes.

　　

Step 8

Use chunks of firm tofu, which will cook through in 3 to 5 minutes.

　　

Step 9

Use vegetables in the dish: quartered peeled onions, roughly chopped bell pepper, or chunks of zucchini; add them along with the shallots and other seasonings.

　　From Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times by Mark Bittman Copyright (c) 2007 by Mark Bittman Published by Broadway Books.Mark Bittman is the author of the blockbuster Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.