Finally, a Healthy Meal

I find little fault with Baltimore. Yes, it's a big city with big city problems, but I love Baltimore and find it charming, quirky, and interesting. My one little complaint about Baltimore is its almost total lack of Vietnamese restaurants. I think there is only one in the entire city and I'm pretty sure the chef there is Thai, not Vietnamese.

Before we lived in Baltimore  we lived in Montgomery County, MD where there were lots of Vietnamese restaurants nearby. A little farther away, just over the river in Virginia there was an entire area known as little Saigon and there is even a whole Vietnamese shopping center . It used to be easy to eat Vietnamese food as often as I wanted but when I moved to Baltimore all that stopped.

If I had business in my old neighborhood, or if I was going back to visit a friend, I might pick up some carryout. Eventually I found a Vietnamese restaurant in Baltimore but it went out of business almost as soon as I found it. Then eventually I found another one but it was expensive and I wasn't that impressed by the food.  It began to become clear to me that if I wanted a steady supply of Vietnamese food I was going to have to make it myself.

This recipe is based on one from The Foods of Vietnam by Nicole Routhier, probably my favorite Vietnamese cookbook. It is the sort of thing I really like and that Mike is not as enthusiastic about. In fact, when Mike came in the kitchen and asked what we were having for dinner and I told him we were having a Vietnamese chicken and cabbage salad, I am quite sure I saw him roll his eyes. But then he was a good sport about it and said he was looking forward to a light meal and he pulled the chicken off the bone which I think is the worst part of making this.

After dinner Mike did admit that he liked it, and I liked it so much I even had leftovers for breakfast today. I'm not your typical breakfast eater but that's a subject for another day. 

Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Goi-Ga)

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken meat
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 serrano chiles, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks 
4 cups Napa cabbage, shredded
1/2 cup shredded mint (or use a combination of mint, cilantro, Thai basil)

Salt
Black pepper, freshly-ground

In small bowl, stir together lime juice, fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, chile peppers and garlic. Stir in onions. Cover and let steep at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine chicken , carrots, cabbage and cilantro. Add sauce and toss to mix

My notes:

I always use chicken thighs for this because I think they have more flavor and are less dry than white meat. I use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, salt and pepper them, and bake them for about 25 minutes in a 425 degree oven. Then I let them cool enough to handle and take the meat off the bone. I discard the skin, and I am very careful to get any gross little bits of fat out, then I toss them with salt and pepper and add them to the salad.  Three thighs is about the right number. However, breast meat would also work, as would leftover roast chicken.

Mint is traditional to use with this, but I usually use a combination of mint and cilantro. Last night I had neither in the house so I went without. It was still good but the herbs make it a more interesting taste.

I always seed the serrano peppers, take out some of the white ribs, and slice it very thinly. I'm looking for tiny jolts of hot, not a big slap of hot. This of course is a matter of taste.

In some recipes I've seen for this the cabbage is first wilted by salting it and letting it stand for a short while. It makes it a little less aggressively crunchy. I don't bother.

In some versions of this dish chopped roasted peanuts are sprinkled over the dish. That doesn't appeal to me so I don't. I have also seen recipes where little crisp bits of shallot or onion are sprinkled over the dish. This does appeal to me and when I made it last night I diced a shallot, sauteed it in a little oil over medium high heat while watching it like a hawk and stirring like a crazy person so it didn't burn, pulled it off as it turned brown, and then drained it on a paper towel and salted it. I then stirred  it into the salad which was a mistake because they lost their crunch. It would have been better if I'd sprinkled a little bit over each dish as I served it.

Comments

[Cazza]

We are fortunate to have many Vietnamese restaurants in Melbourne. And I will try your recipe.

BTW... I totally love your dogs. I would like to know, however, what constitutes an abandoned graveyard? I thought residency there was permanent!

[laura]

Good lord, I'm going to have to go get some lunch now or STARVE. I'm drooling. This looks easy enough, and with enough ingredients that I have on hand, that I think I would try this. Keep 'em coming! No breaks!

[Julie]

Cazza, I had to laugh about what constitutes an abandoned graveyard. You're right, the residents don't go anywhere although in this case it seems that there is no longer anyone righting headstones as they fall over, people are no longer being buried here, and I don't think I've ever once seen flowers placed on a grave here. All of which works well for the dogs and me.

Laura, if you do try it let me know what you think. It's definitely easy.

[Gail]

Mary told me to drop by and I'm glad I did. I think this may be the inspiration I need to get out of my cooking duldrums. Thanks!

[Lindy]

I've made this recipe several times too-it's really good, isn't it?

Re abandoned graveyards: There is a beautiful old cemetary in my neighborhood, where people are permitted to walk their dogs. Recently, when a leash rule was added (after a dog was an disruptive guest at a funeral), some nearby residents, feeling affronted, put up signs saying, "boycott Homewood Cemetary!"
Presumably, they would refuse to die until their demands were met.