Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon dried ginger
1 tablespoon dried turmeric
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as grapeseed
2 cloves garlic
1 1-inch piece peeled ginger
1 peeled shallot
1 dried chile, on the hot side (I like de árbol)
1 bunch cilantro
1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil or a neutral cooking oil, such as grapeseed
1 cup cubed sweet potato
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 limes, 1 juiced and 1 quartered
1 pinch salt, to taste
1 peeled shallot, sliced thinly
1 cup neutral cooking oil, such as grapeseed
Ingredients

    For the soup

  1. Cut the chicken thighs into about 1-inch pieces and marinate overnight with the dried ginger, turmeric, coriander, and 1 tablespoon of neutral oil. I like the overnight marinade, but if you forget, simply toss the chicken pieces with the spices before you start cooking.
  2. In a food processor, mince the garlic, ginger, shallot, dried chile, and the roots and/or stems of the bunch of cilantro.
  3. In the bottom of a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat, heat the coconut oil. Then add the cubed sweet potato. Fry until golden brown on at least 2 sides of each cube. Scoop out of the pan, leaving the oil, and set aside. Add the chicken pieces (a few at a time so you can brown them without having them cool the pan down) and let them begin to brown. Season with a pinch of salt. When they are mostly browned, add the minced shallot-ginger-garlic-cilantro stem mixture and let cook out a little. Add a couple tablespoons of the chicken stock and let reduce until the mixture is soft and cooked. Add the rest of the chicken stock and the reserved sweet potatoes and bring to a simmer.
  4. Meanwhile use the method below to fry the crispy shallots (this can also be done as much as a week ahead of time, as the shallots will keep in a closed container at room temperature for a week at least).
  5. Simmer the soup for about half an hour, until the chicken and sweet potatoes are close to tender. Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, and coconut milk and bring up to a simmer. Stir in a quarter cup of cilantro leaves and taste for salt. Serve garnished with the crispy shallots, a couple of sprigs of raw cilantro, and the lime wedges

    For the crispy shallot topping

  1. In a sauté pan over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the shallots and stir frequently. As the oil continues to heat, the shallots will start to color. When they get to golden brown, scoop them out of the oil and drain on a paper towel. You want to pull them out of the oil a little before dark brown, as they'll continue to cook and crisp up on the paper towel.
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Skillet-Grilled Fish Tacos with Cilantro-Lime Crema
A few years ago, Bon Appétit ran a story on “plancha”-style cooking featuring chef Eric Ripert and a slate-grilled summer menu. The photos of steak searing, sourdough bread charring, and all the summer vegetables caramelizing on a smoking-hot slab nearly had me running to Home Depot to buy untreated slate (as Ripert reportedly does), but as I read on, a more appealing idea caught my attention: I could use my cast iron skillet instead. BA noted that a griddle or cast iron pan set on a grill like a plancha allows “food to pick up smoky grill flavors without the risk of flareups,” and is “particularly suited to delicate foods like fish and small vegetables that would otherwise fall through or be shredded by a grill grate.” Last week, when summer finally hit upstate New York, and nothing sounded better than grilled fish, I remembered this article and set my cast iron skillet on the grill as it preheated. About 10 minutes later, when the grill temperature had climbed to 550° F and the skillet had turned white hot, I poured in a little oil, carefully lowered in a haddock fillet, closed the grill, and set the timer for 3 minutes. Much to my delight, when the timer dinged, the fish had seared beautifully, the heat of the skillet creating a light bottom crust, which allowed the fillet to release from the pan with the gentlest push of a spatula. Because I use a gas grill, no smoky flavor was imparted; nothing emerging from my grill will taste like burning briquettes or a summer campfire—but this is something I’ve come to accept about my backyard grilling undertakings. My gas grill, in essence, is a very hot outdoor oven that excels at searing without setting off the fire alarm; if you're working with a charcoal grill, I think the fish will be as good if not even better for the flavor of the coals. In addition to haddock, I’ve had success using this method with fillets of cod and grouper, each about 1/2- to 1-inch thick. Seasoned with salt and cayenne pepper, the flaky fish can be eaten simply with a squeeze of lemon, though it’s particularly good broken into pieces over a bed of slaw and wrapped in tortillas warmed directly on the grill grates (which only takes about 30 seconds). With a simple slaw and crema, a summery skillet-grilled dinner can materialize in no time. Note: On the fish, I like to use cayenne for both color and heat, but if you are sensitive to heat, you can use other dried spices such as paprika, cumin, or dried ancho chile. The slaw and crema can be made a day in advance.