Gai yang: split, marinated chicken grilled over a two-zone fire, with a Thai chili dipping sauce

With poultry shears cut down both sides of the spine; trim excess fat and save the scraps for stock.

Flip the chicken, press to straighten the sternum, and slice through it to split the bird in half.

Thread two skewers through each half: one under the thigh through the bone and out through the breast, one through the drumstick and the breast, so it stays flat and is easy to move.

Grind white peppercorns and coriander.

In a food processor combine the spices, seven peeled garlic cloves, cilantro stems and some leaves, a pre-chopped two-inch piece of peeled lemongrass, fish sauce, dark soy sauce and brown sugar; blend to a smooth paste. It should taste quite salty.

Rub the marinade all over the chicken. Marinate up to overnight, no longer, or the meat turns hammy; limit acidic marinades to about four hours.

For the dipping sauce, peel three garlic cloves and thinly slice Thai bird chilies on a separate board.

Pound garlic, chilies and brown sugar in a mortar and pestle into a paste; add fish sauce and lime juice, roughly equal parts with the sugar, and mix until the sugar dissolves.

Set up a two-zone fire, half the burners on high and half on low; scrape the grates clean.

Insert the thermometer through the thickest part of the breast. Lay the chicken skin side up with the legs toward the hot side; brush on more marinade.

Cover and cook until the breast reaches 140, about 45 minutes.

Remove the thermometer and flip the chicken skin side down onto the hot side, legs toward the hottest part; cover and cook two or three minutes until crisp, rotating front to back, without letting it char to a cinder.

Check temperatures: breast about 149 (150 max), legs at least 165 to 173.

Remove the skewers and carve at the joints. Serve with the dipping sauce.