What is Chicken Zab?
Chicken zab is a Thai dish and uses different cuts of chicken, including the thigh. The meat is dredged in toasted rice powder and zab seasons which include chili and lime. The meat is then deep fried in oil until the coating is crispy. The result is a juicy piece of chicken with a crunchy crust and spicy, salty and umami flavor.
What does Chicken Zab Taste Like?
Salty is one of the five main tastes. It has a satisfying and addictive quality with hints of sourness. Salty foods include cheeses, cured meats, chips, and olives. It is used in almost every dish and prepared food. Salt is added to enhance flavor and offer a distinctly salty taste.
Umami is one of five main tastes. It is savory with a depth of flavor. Umami is a taste in many foods, including meat, seafood, beans, and nuts. It is both naturally occurring and created through the specific use of ingredients to create a satisfying taste. Umami is characteristic of proteins and savory dishes.
Spicy is a flavor that brings heat and fire to food by creating a burning sensation in the mouth or sinuses. Spicy flavors come from hot peppers, horseradish, and wasabi. Spicy adds a kick and sometimes complexity to a dish and releases endorphins, creating a mildly addictive quality.
Ingredients
Chicken thighs are from the upper leg of the bird. They are dark meat, meaning that the meat is pink, juicier, and often more tender. Even when cooked, the meat will often remain slightly pink. Chicken thighs are a rough, square-shaped cut and may have the bone removed. Chicken thighs taste mild and meaty. They can be cooked using a variety of methods and are best served hot.
Vegetable oil is obtained by extracting oil from seeds. Types of vegetable oil include canola, sunflower, corn, and safflower. Light and with a neutral taste, vegetable oils are used to fry foods, or can be used to lightly coat meats and vegetables before roasting. Vegetable oils are also used as ingredients in salad dressings and sauces.
Wheat flour is a product made by finely milling wheat grains until they form a powder-like substance. Wheat flour is denser than powder and comes as whole wheat flour; a semi-dense flour with a beige color and full flavor. All- purpose flour is refined, white, lighter in texture and more bland in flavor. There are other varieties of wheat flour with these two being the most common. The flavor is mild and nutty. Wheat flour is used in the making of a huge number of foods across all cuisines. It is used as a binder as well as the basis for breads, baked goods and coating for breaded meats and vegetables. It is used in sauces and even some candies.
Lemon powder is made from the dehydrated rind, pulp and juice of lemons. Once dried these components are ground into a fine light yellow powder with a bright sour flavor. Lemon powder is used in both sweet and savory food to add a tart flavor. It can be found in seasonings too, to be used on meat or seafood.
Toasted rice powder also called khao khua is made by toasting raw sticky rice until it is golden and grinding it into a powder. It is used to thicken sauces and soups and add a nutty flavor to savory dishes. The flavor is nutty, mild and pleasing. Toasted rice powder is popular in Thai and Lao cuisines.
There are many varieties of chili peppers. They are a small, hot pepper. The pepper is dried and ground into a fine powder, that varies in shades of red. Chili powder is a spice blend popular in American and Latin-American cooking. It is usually made from ancho chilies, paprika, oregano and cumin, other spices may be added. It is used in many protein dishes and has a spicy and herbal flavor.
Salt is a mineral composed mostly of sodium chloride. It is the main flavoring used in food and is naturally occurring in certain foods, such as cheese, beets, meat and celery, plus many others. Salt is white and has finer granules than sugar. Many commercial salts include iodide, while others exclude it. Most salts are white, while some are naturally pale pink with minerals. Salt brings out the flavor of something and can create a tangy mouthfeel, if used in excess.
