Turmeric Chicken

Here is an easy dish with lots of flavor..... They sell these on the street in the beach towns south of Bangkok, but will taste equally good here.... Make a big batch and keep in the fridge.... Turmeric Chicken (gay ka-min)....Thai Snack
4 K chicken legs and thighs
4 tablespoons coriander stems, cleaned and chopped
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup garlic cloves, whole, skinned (yes, I know it seems like a lot)
1 tsp black peppercorns, whole
2 tsp fish sauce (read note below for substitutes)
3 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp white sugar
Mash turmeric with the garlic, coriander stems and peppercorns to make a paste. Careful with turmeric, stains EVERYTHING. Add the soy sauce, fish sauce & sugar, put in glass container or ? to leave in fridge, large enough so chicken will fit. Rinse the chicken and add to this. Combine chicken and sauce. Put your hand inside a plastic bag and rub the paste into the chicken. Poke the chicken with a fork a bit to make holes for the marinade to seep in. Coat well, cover and refrigerate for 4-5 hours or overnight (I do overnight) After marinating, either grill or bake in the oven until cooked. (grilling preferred of course).
NOTE: Fish sauce is made from anchovies (or any small fish), water, and salt and left to ferment for up to a year. Fish sauce is one of the oldest ingredients in the world. I’ve read that soy sauce was invented as a way to create a cheaper alternative to fish sauce thousands of years ago in China. Fish sauce is essential to Thai food. Brands: ‘Oyster Brand’; and ‘Squid Brand’ are recommended. Tipparos brand is *not* recommended. Make sure you buy a Thai brand as other brands taste very different. Fish sauce brands vary greatly in quality and fishiness. If you are vegetarian, you can usually get away with substituting fish sauce for either sea salt or white soy sauce (very diluted soy sauce), depending on the recipe. Sometimes you can find here, but sometimes not which is why I gave the ingredients so you could kind of replicate the needed flavor notes, but feel free to use whatever suits your taste most.