Luke Larsson knows his way around a grill. At Khao Bird, the northern Thai barbecue restaurant that found a permanent home on Brewer Street in Soho last year, fire is less a piece of kitchen equipment than an organising principle.
The restaurant began life in Brighton as Lucky Khao before a year-long residency above Borough Market’s Globe Tavern convinced Larsson and restaurateur Mike Palmer to bring it properly to London.
The cooking takes northern Thailand, and particularly Chiang Mai, as its starting point, while looking across the border to the food of Myanmar and the Shan people. Larsson has trained in kitchens across Thailand, including Samuay & Sons, 100 Mahaseth and Bo.lan, and describes his approach as respectful of tradition without being imprisoned by it.
At Khao Bird, that means British produce, smoke, chilli, herbs and the sort of food that tends to arrive looking as though someone has had rather a good time cooking it.
These recipes take the same philosophy outside. Gai yang turns chicken thighs into a sweet, salty, lemongrass-heavy version of Chiang Mai’s ubiquitous grilled chicken; moo ping gives pork shoulder the full treatment with fish sauce, soy, whisky and evaporated milk; and bouncy chicken and pork meatballs borrow their heat and herbal punch from Shan cooking.
Make the accompanying nam prik pla too: an aggressively sharp chilli, fish sauce and tamarind dip that has the useful quality of making almost anything off the barbecue taste better.
In other words, the burgers can have the weekend off.
Northern Thai chicken and pork meatballs
“These chicken and pork meatballs are inspired by the cuisine of the shan people of Myanmar and the Thai border. Spicy, herbal and bouncy, they’re great eaten wrapped in lettuce but equally in a roll if you have hotdogs going for the kids.”
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
300g chicken mince
300g pork mince
75g cooked rice vermicelli noodles, roughly chopped
2 shallots, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, finely sliced
1–2 red chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp shrimp paste
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander stalks
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 tbsp tapioca starch or cornflour
½ tsp baking powder
1 tomato, deseeded and finely diced
Pinch of salt
Method:
1. Mix the chicken and pork mince in a food processor until sticky, then combine with all the remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly until everything is evenly distributed.
2. Shape into small meatballs, around 40-50g each, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
3. Cook over a medium-hot BBQ, turning regularly, for around 10-12 minutes, until deeply charred and cooked through. If they’re colouring too quickly, move them to a cooler part of the BBQ to finish cooking.
4. Serve hot with a dipping sauce, herbs and cups of lettuce
Gai yang – Thai BBQ chicken
“Gai yang is by far one of the most popular foods for Chiang Mai, normally cooked whole on a rotisserie over coal and served with a scorching hot som tam salad. This home cook version uses boneless chicken thighs for speedy execution.”
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
8 boneless, skin on chicken thighs
100ml pineapple juice
2 tbsp light brown sugar/palm sugar
1 tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
4 lemongrass stalks, finely chopped
8 garlic cloves
8cm piece ginger
½ tsp ground turmeric
Small handful coriander stalks
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
Method:
1. In a Magimix or with a handheld stick blender, blend all the marinade ingredients until fairly smooth.
2. Pour over the chicken, making sure it is well coated, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
3. Take the chicken out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before cooking.
4. Cook over a medium-hot BBQ, turning regularly, for around 15-18 minutes, until nicely charred and cooked through (temperature inside should be 75C).
5. Move to a cooler part of the BBQ if the marinade starts to catch before the chicken is cooked.
6. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice and serve with a simple nam jin jaew by mixing 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1½ tablespoons of lime juice, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of chill flakes or powder, 1 tablespoon of chopped coriander and 2 sliced spring onions.
Thai BBQ pork skewers
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“Moo ping pork skewers are found all over thailand normally – a small two bite stick sold in multiples in a little plastic bag. Sweet, smokey and tender.”
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
600g shoulder diced
6 garlic cloves
Small handful coriander stalks
1 tsp ground white pepper
1tsp black pepper
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp dark/sweet soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp palm or brown sugar
1 tbsp whisky
1 tbsp cornflour
100ml evaporated milk
½ tsp ground star anise
½ tsp cumin seed crushed
½ tsp chilli flakes
Method:
1. With a stick blender, blend the garlic, coriander, pepper, fish sauce, soy, oyster sauce, sugar, whisky, cornflour, evaporated milk and star anise until smooth.
2. Pour over the pork and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 8 hours, ideally overnight.
3. Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes.
4. Thread the pork onto the skewers, with 4-5 chunks on each one.
5. Cook over a medium-hot BBQ, turning regularly, for around 8-10 minutes, until caramelised, charred at the edges and cooked through.
6. Mix together crushed chilli flakes and crushed cumin seeds, before using this to dust the skewers.
7. Serve immediately with a sharp chilli dipping sauce nam phrik pla
Nam prik pla dipping sauce
Makes: about 300ml
Ingredients:
8 green bird’s eye chillies
8 red bird’s eye chillies
6 garlic cloves
3cm piece ginger
100ml fish sauce
75ml tamarind water or 40ml vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp white vinegar
Method:
1. Finely chop the chillies, garlic and ginger, or pulse briefly in a food processor until coarse.
2. Stir together with the fish sauce, tamarind, lime juice, sugar and vinegar until the sugar dissolves. Leave for 20 minutes before serving to let the flavours meld. Will keep in sealed container in fridge for 1 month.
3. The perfect dipping sauce for grilled chicken, pork skewers or any BBQ seafood.
