Phetchabun province is rarely mentioned on Thailand's "tourist map". However, it is an interesting destination for those who like to explore the local cuisine. Here, they had the opportunity to taste a "unique" chicken dish - sun-dried chicken.
Phetchaburi is a province about two and a half hours south of Bangkok. Here, you can ask the locals about the owner of a street stall named Sila Sutharat – who has been serving up Gai Yang chicken cooked over a sun fire for over 20 years.
Sila Sutharat, 60, has been cooking sun-dried chicken for more than 20 years and has rich experience. Mr. Sutharat, like most chefs, cooks a traditional Thai chicken dish over charcoal before turning to his "unique" cooking method.
Until one hot day in 1997, when he was sitting in his booth, leisurely watching buses and other vehicles go by, he suddenly realized: a passing bus reflected a terrible solar heat, projected onto him.
Meanwhile, he had new culinary ideas. He began experimenting with placing mirrors in different positions so that light could be focused on a single point.
Soon after, he devised a unique open-air oven using a big iron frame and approximately a thousand tiny mirrors mounted on it.
The mirrors concentrated sunlight on the carefully seasoned chickens. It was the "solar oven" that made the gai yang chicken golden-brown evenly, without being burnt or charred like other barbecued meats on charcoal grills.
The 'cooker' can generate heat of up to 312C, meaning it can cook a 1.2kg chicken in just 12 minutes. The best time for baking is from 7 to 10 in the morning and from 14 to 17 in the afternoon.
"Out of the oven," chicken dishes are golden brown, plump, and crispy on the outside. His shop sells more than 40 chickens a day due to the special flavor of traditional dishes. Many customers come from Bangkok to buy.
Mr. Sutharat said proudly: Sunlight is completely free and unlike coal or other gases, it is a sustainable and clean source of combustion.
Furthermore, the use of the solar oven also provided an impressive cooking display that drew the attention of customers.Our fuel costs decreased significantly while our sales increased exponentially." he commented.
