🐔Gỏi Gà Bún - Chicken, Noodle & Cabbage Salad

This light and flavour packed chicken salad combines a colourful group of vegetables for a unique experience of textures. 

INGREDIENTS 

For The Chicken

• 1 chicken thigh 

• 1L water 

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tsp soy sauce 

For The Salad 

• 150g bun (Vietnamese rice vermicelli noodles)

• 70g wombok, thinly sliced

• ½ carrot, julienned  

• ½ cucumber, julienned 

• 3 kaffir lime leaves, stems removed & thinly sliced  

• 1 shallot, thinly sliced

• 2 sprigs mint, picked 

• 2 springs Vietnamese mint, picked 

• small handful coriander, picked 

• 4-5tbsp nuoc cham

Optional Garnishes

• 2 TBL crispy fried shallots 

• 2 TBL crushed peanuts 

• prawn crackers* (optional)

• Spring onion oil* (optional)

Method

1. For the chicken, sprinkle the salt and soy sauce over the chicken allow it to marinate for 15-20 minutes. Alternatively, place the salt and soy sauce with the chicken in a vacuum sealed bag. 

2. Steam the chicken over medium heat for 22-25 minutes or until it is cooked through the center. Remove from the steamer and cool it until it reaches room temperature. Remove, shred the meat apart into thin strips and set aside.

3. To cook the noodles, boil for 8-10 minutes in a large pot. Refresh in cold water or rinse under a tap and drain well. 

4. Combine the chicken along with the remaining salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

5. Drizzle the nuoc cham* over the salad, and adjust it to taste. Toss together until all the ingredients are evenly dressed.

6. Serve in a large communal bowl or divide into individual portions and top with the optional garnishes.

🍶Mỡ Hành- Spring Onion Oil 

This bright and colourful oil adds a beautiful green colour to a number of Vietnamese dishes. Its flavour is delicately herbal. This oil keeps for a few weeks in your fridge. 

Makes: 300ml

Active time: 5 minutes

Total time: 10 minutes 

INGREDIENTS 

• 5 spring onions, minced 

• 300ml vegetable oil

• 2x2cm ginger, minced 

METHOD

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it is roughly 150C. Pour it over the minced spring onions in a heat-proof bowl. Allow to cook before serving. 

🐟 Nước Chấm - Fish Sauce Dressing

This sweet, savoury and sour dressing is an absolutely essential part of Vietnamese cuisine. It makes its way into so many dishes as a dipping sauce, marinade, and any-occasion dressing. 

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Execution time: 5 minutes

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS 

• 4 tbsp water

• 2 tbsp fish sauce

• 2.5 tbsp sugar

• 1 tsp rice wine vinegar (optional) 

• ¼-½ lime, juiced

• ⅓ Thai chili, minced

• 1 small clove of garlic, minced 

METHOD

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl until all the sugar dissolves.

🍜🐔Phở Gà (serves 10)

Lighter than its sister beef variety, phở gà is nonetheless a delicious and light soup that makes a well-balanced lunch or breakfast. Definitely try making the stock yourself, as it’s more nutritious and unadulterated than the pre-made versions you find in the supermarket. 

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Execution time: 10 minutes 

Serves: 2 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 chicken thigh, steamed, sliced (200g)

• 200g banh phở (rice noodles), cooked

• 500ml phở broth

• 2 tsp fish sauce 

• 1 tsp raw sugar 

• ¼ tsp salt 

For garnish:

• 40g bean shoots 

• ¼ brown onion or shallot, thinly sliced

• 1 sprig Thai basil, picked 

• ½ spring onion, sliced 

• ½ Thai bird’s eye chilli- sliced thinly 

• 1 tbsp fried shallots

• ½ lime, sliced into wedges 

METHOD

1. In a pot of boiling water, blanch the chicken thigh for 2 minutes or until the water returns to a boil. 

2. Discard the hot water and rinse the chicken in cold water.

3. Place the pho broth in a medium saucepan. Add the chicken into the pho broth, bring it back up to a simmer and simmer for 30 minutes. Allow the chicken thigh to cool in the pot. 

4. Remove the chicken, allow it to cool slightly before pulling the meat apart with your hands. 

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil the banh phở (rice noodles) for 10-13 minutes, or until tender. Rinse briefly in cold water. 

2. Season the phở broth with the salt, fish sauce and sugar to taste. 

3. Divide the phở noodles into 2 bowls, pour the hot broth over top of them and garnish with the bean shoots, Thai basil, fried shallots, lime wedges and sliced chilli. 

🍜Phở Broth - Chicken Broth 

Phở is a national dish of Vietnam that originated as streetfood and is named after the portable clay pots that would carry and dispense vats of the aromatic broth. The chicken version is a little bit lighter than its beefy cousin but no less delicious. 

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Execution: 4 hour

Serves: 10

INGREDIENTS

• 2pcs chicken carcass 

• 4L cold water

• 4x4cm (40g) ginger, sliced

• 1pc brown onion, cut in half and charred over a gas flame

• 1pc garlic head, sliced in half horizontally 

• 3 spring onions

• 4pcs black cardamom 

• 1 stick cinnamon

• 2pc star anise 

• ½ tbsp fennel seed

• ½ tbsp black pepper

• ½ tbsp coriander seed

METHOD

1. In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the chicken bones for 2 minutes or until the water returns to a boil. This will clean off some of the scum and produce that tastes and looks cleaner.

2. Dump out the hot water, rinse chicken bones thoroughly in cold water. 

3. Return the bones to a clean pot and fill with 4L cold water. 

4. Simmer for 3 hours. 

5. Add in the remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes- 1 hour. 

6. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer. 

🍥 Chả Giò - Spring Rolls

These quick and easy spring rolls are a great way to clear the fridge of leftover vegetables. You can substitute any of the following ingredients with some of these ideas: broccoli, capsicum, white onion, pumpkin. 

Preparation time: 15 minutes 

Execution by time: 15 minutes 

Serves: 2

INGREDIENTS

• 100g chicken mince

• 4 raw prawns, tails removed, diced 

• 1 spring onion, minced

• 1 dried shiitake mushroom, rehydrated in cold water overnight, minced

• 1 cloud ear or black fungus mushroom, rehydrated in cold water overnight, minced

• 20g bean vermicelli noodles, rehydrated in cold water overnight, sliced

• 30g carrot, diced 

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 tsp fish sauce

• 1 tsp sugar 

• 1 pinch salt

• 1 pinch pepper

• 12 sheets of spring roll wrappers, cut in half diagonally, the middle corner trimmed off.

• 3 cups vegetable oil for frying

For serving: 

• 3 tbsp  nước chấm

•  fresh herbs: coriander, mint, Vietnamese mint

• Assorted lettuce leaves: butter lettuce, cos lettuce etc. 

METHOD

1. Mix all filling and seasoning ingredients together until quite homogenous. 

2. Spoon about a small amount of the mincemeat mixture (about the size and shape of your index finger) into the centre of the dough. 

3. Tuck the left side of the pastry over the mincemeat mixture.

4. Repeat with the right side.

5. Then roll the dough to seal, resting the spring roll so that the seam is on the bottom.

6. Heat the oil to 160C or place the tip of a wooden chopstick in the centre of the oil and begin frying when a steady stream of bubbles exudes from the tip of the chopstick.

7. Cook for 5-6 minutes, turning halfway through until each side is golden brown.

8. Drain on a paper towel. 

9. To serve, place the nuoc cham in a small sauce bowl. Place some of the spring rolls, herbs and lettuces on a plate.