In this new exhibitor recipe series, brands from the Speciality & Fine Food Fair community share dishes that highlight the ingredients they are known for. Hawkshead Relish, the award-winning Cumbrian producer famous for its range of jams, relishes and chutneys, brings a vibrant Vietnamese-inspired chicken dish from its Embellish with Relish cookbook.

Based in the Lake District, Hawkshead Relish has built a reputation for bold, flavour-packed condiments made in small batches. Founded by Maria Whitehead in 2009, the company has won numerous Great Taste Awards and is stocked by independent retailers, farm shops and delis across the UK. Its Chilli Jam is one of its most versatile products, balancing sweetness and heat and lending itself just as easily to marinades and sauces as it does to cheeseboards.

The following recipe pairs Hawkshead Relish Chilli Jam with fish sauce, ginger and caramelised sugar to create a rich, sticky sauce for chicken. Inspired by a dish discovered while travelling in Vietnam, it has become a firm favourite in the Hawkshead Relish kitchen and is quick enough for a weeknight meal while still delivering big flavour.

Excerpt From the 'Embellish with Relish' Cookbook:

Travelling in Vietnam a few years ago, we came across this dish and it has quickly become a family favourite. It’s quick and easy to make and you can use pork, prawns or fish instead of the chicken. You could also skewer the chicken pieces and heat the sauce to serve separately.

Preparation time: 20 minutes | Cooking time: 40 minutes
Easy
Serves 4
Mains

Ingredients
900g boneless skinned chicken thighs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the Marinade
1 teaspoon Hawkshead Relish Chilli Jam
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 finely chopped onion
2 finely chopped cloves of garlic
Freshly ground black pepper
1 finely chopped green chilli
10g grated fresh ginger

For the Sauce
100g brown sugar
2 tablespoons Hawkshead Relish Chilli Jam
4 teaspoons fish sauce Buy
750ml hot chicken stock
1 finely chopped chilli
40g finely chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon lime juice

Method

For the Marinade

Cube the chicken into 5cm pieces. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl, add the chicken, mix well, cover and leave in the fridge for around 1 hour to marinate.

For the Sauce

Put the sugar in a pan and heat gently until it has melted without allowing it to burn.

Turn up the heat and stir until the liquid sugar turns a darker colour, then remove from the heat and add the Chilli Jam and fish sauce. Be careful as it can bubble up and will easily burn you if you are not careful.

Add the 500ml of stock, followed by the chilli, ginger, cinnamon, black peppercorns and lime juice.

Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan, then when the oil is hot and almost at smoking point add the marinated chicken pieces and stir constantly to avoid it sticking and burning.

Allow to brown for a couple of minutes then use the rest of the stock to deglaze the pan and create a caramelised sauce.

Cook this out until the liquid has reduced by a quarter.

Serve with steamed rice and top with thinly sliced ginger and spring onions, fresh coriander, and more chopped chilli if you like the extra heat.