coriander leaves
cup roughly chopped fresh
mint leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
¼ cup fish sauce
1 fresh Thai bird chile, finely
chopped
½ tablespoon sugar
2 pounds skinless chicken parts
Fresh mint and cilantro leaves
to garnish
1. First make the marinade. In a large bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the oil, the white pepper, onion, garlic, coriander leaves, mint leaves, ginger, fish sauce, chile, and sugar. Stir well until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Clean the chicken pieces and pat them dry. Put them in a large bowl or shallow dish and pour the marinade on top. Rub the marinade all over the chicken until each piece is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
3. Find a frying pan large enough to fit all the chicken pieces in one layer. (If you do not have such a pan, you will need to cook the chicken in two batches.) Pour the remaining oil into the pan over high heat. When the oil is hot, add all the chicken and all the marinade (or half the chicken and half the marinade).
4. Cook the chicken on one side for about 15 minutes, or until it has become golden brown, then turn over and cook the other side for about 15 minutes. Test the chicken for doneness by pricking it with a fork: when the juices run clear, remove the chicken from the pan.
5. Serve the chicken with steamed rice, and garnish with the fresh cilantro and mint leaves. Drizzle the pan juices over the rice.
PAN-FRIED CHICKEN WITH LEMONGRASS, GARLIC, AND CHILI PASTE
Gà Xào X Ti t
Here’s another recipe where the chicken is cooked in the marinade and then the cooking juices are drizzled over steamed rice to eat with the chicken. The difference between this dish and ga chien is the use of lemongrass, which adds zing and fragrance to the chicken. If you have only 4 hours to marinate the chicken, add another 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, but you’ll appreciate the dish more if you marinate it overnight. If you prefer more of a kick to the flavors, add extra chili paste, about ½ teaspoon.
¼ cup fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon chili paste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks fresh lemongrass, finely
chopped
1½ pounds skinless chicken legs
and thighs
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, quartered and
separated
Fresh cilantro leaves (or parsley
or mint) for garnish
1. In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, sugar, chili paste, black pepper, garlic cloves, and lemongrass. Whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved.
2. Clean the chicken pieces and pat dry. Put them in a large bowl or shallow dish and pour the marinade on top. Rub the marinade all over the chicken until each piece is evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Find a frying pan large enough to fit all the chicken pieces in one layer. (If you do not have such a pan, you will need to cook the chicken in two batches.) Heat the oil in a large frying pan or skillet over high heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add all the chicken and all the marinade (or half the chicken and half the marinade).
5. Cook the chicken on one side for about 15 minutes, or until it has become golden brown, then turn over and cook the other side for about 15 minutes. Test the chicken for doneness by pricking it with a fork; when the juices run clear, remove the chicken from the pan.
6. Serve the chicken with steamed rice and garnish with cilantro. Drizzle the pan juices over the chicken and rice.
FIVE-SPICED CHICKEN
Gà Ng V Hng
Five-spice powder is a magical formula balancing peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, and star anise. We credit the Chinese for the invention and use it in many Vietnamese dishes. Five-spiced Chicken is not only flavorful but also aromatic; it’s often sold in the meat delis of Little Saigon. But if you want to make it yourself, it’s very simple. I prefer to use individual pieces of chicken because it’s easier to marinate them thoroughly, but you can certainly apply this recipe to a whole chicken. Because it’s not a typical, salty Vietnamese dish, Five-spiced Chicken can be served with fried rice or a sauteed noodle dish.
3 pounds whole chicken, quartered
and skinless
1 small yellow onion, roughly
chopped
6 cloves garlic
½ tablespoon ground star anise
1 tablespoon sugar
cup sesame seed oil
2½ tablespoons five-spice powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Ginger Lime Soy Sauce (see
recipe in Basics)
1. Clean and pat dry the chicken quarters. Set aside.
2. In a food processor, mince the onion and garlic. Blend in the ground star anise. Scrape into a small bowl.
3. To the bowl, add the sugar, sesame seed oil, five-spice powder, salt, black pepper, and soy sauce. Whisk until the sugar and salt are dissolved.
4. Place the chicken quarters in a shallow dish or a large ziplock bag. Pour the marinade over the chicken, making sure all parts are completely covered. Marinate for at least 6 hours, but ideally overnight. Every so often, baste the chicken in the dish or rotate the bag to ensure that the chicken parts are always well coated.
5. Prepare a grill for cooking the chicken. A large skillet set on a hot burner is a good alternative. When the grill is hot. place the chicken on it and cook for 10 to 15 minutes on each side, frequently basting the chicken with the marinade. If you are using a skillet, pour all the marinade into the skillet to cook with the chicken. The chicken is cooked when it is pricked with a knife or fork and the juices run clear.
6. Arrange the chicken on a bed of lettuce. Serve hot with Ginger Lime Soy Sauce and steamed or fried rice or sauteed noodles.
FIVE-SPICED FRIED CHICKEN
Gà Chiên Dòn
Fried chicken has found a home in Vietnamese cuisine—but not with the same thick coating found on southern-fried chicken. The Vietnamese version is lightly fried marinated chicken with a coating of five-spice powder and rice flour. The five-spice powder gives the chicken a nice vivid hue, while the rice flour provides a light, crispy crunch. Serve the fried chicken hot from the skillet, with nuoc cham, Ginger Lime Soy Sauce, or just soy sauce. Do not forget the steamed or fried rice and the salad platter. We’re still waiting for a Vietnamese version of potato salad and collard greens.
1 whole chicken with skin, cut
into 6 pieces
8 cloves garlic, minced
½ onion, minced
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
2 cups rice flour
¼ cup five-spice powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
Oil for frying, approximately
2 cups
1. Wash and pat dry the pieces of chicken. Arrange the pieces in a bowl or a plastic ziplock bag.
2. To make the marinade, in a small bowl combine the garlic and minced onion with the soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and sesame seed oil. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Pour the marinade over the chicken, making sure all parts are completely covered. Cover the bowl or seal the plastic bag, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to marinate.
4. In a shallow dish, combine the rice flour, five-spice powder, salt, and pepper thoroughly.
5. Begin heating just 1 cup of oil in a deep skillet or saucepan until it reaches 360 degrees, which is before the oil begins to smoke.
6. While waiting for the oil to heat, take the pieces of chicken out of the marinade one at a time. Dredge each one in the rice flour m
ixture, giving it a light coating all over. Set aside. Reserve the marinade.
7. When the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium and fry the chicken for approximately 15 minutes on each side or until it is a golden brown. You do not want to deep-fry the chicken. Test the doneness of the chicken by pricking it with a fork; it is done when the juices run clear. Remove the chicken from the skillet and place on paper towels to soak up the excess oil. Fry the remaining chicken pieces, adding more oil as needed.
8. Serve the chicken over lettuce or watercress with nuoc cham or a soy sauce. Serve with fried or steamed rice and the salad platter.
POACHED GINGER CHICKEN WITH GINGER SAUCE
Gà Siu Siu
Steam a whole chicken? It can be done. For this dish, you want to use a whole chicken, but if you must, you can use chicken quarters as long as you cut the cooking time by a third. Another slow dish, this poached chicken can be started and then left on the back of the stove to continue cook ing. It’s low-temperature, slow poaching. But the chicken is only half of the dish. The ginger dip ping sauce is the crowning touch.
1 whole chicken, about 3 pounds,
with bones
4 to 6 cups chicken or vegetable
broth
1 medium piece fresh ginger,
roughly peeled
1 cup fish sauce
1 onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 small piece rock sugar (size
of a thumb), or 1 tablespoon
granulated sugar
2 scallions, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
Dipping Sauce with Ginger (see
recipe in Basics)
1. Clean the chicken and pat it dry. Put it in a large stockpot.
2. Pour the broth over the chicken until just a third of the chicken is covered. If using chicken parts, just stack them on top of each other and pour in 1 to 2 cups of broth.
3. Chop the ginger into a few pieces. Add them to the pot along with the fish sauce, onion, garlic, sugar, scallions, and peppercorns. Stir the ingredients thoroughly into the broth. Bring the broth to a boil; let boil for 5 minutes and then reduce to a simmer.
4. Simmer the pot (do not boil) for 15 minutes, uncovered. Then turn off the heat and flip the chicken over, so that the part of the chicken that was not in the broth is now covered. If using chicken parts, simply rearrange so that the uncooked parts are now submerged in the liquid. Cover the pot and let it sit for about an hour. The chicken will continue cooking even though the heat is turned off. It will be done in about an hour and half, but can continue to sit.
5. You’ll know the chicken is done when a fork is poked into the breast and the juices run clear. Remove it from the stockpot and carve it against the grain.
6. Arrange the sliced chicken on a bed of lettuce or watercress on a large serving platter. Spoon a few tablespoons of the poaching liquid over the chicken; discard the rest of the liquid. Serve with hot rice and ginger dipping sauce.
WARM “SHAKING BEEF” SALAD WITH WATERCRESS AND TOMATOES
Bò Lúc Lc
The English translation of luc lac means “to shake” something, as in some kind of covered container. This is exactly what you need to do with this marinated beef—luc lac it in a container with a lid or in a mixing bowl with a large plate on top. Watercress is a refreshing green, but somewhat bland, so adding this flavorful beef makes for an interesting contrast. If you do not have watercress, try mâche (lamb’s lettuce) or red lettuce. The tomatoes are not a must, but they do add taste and color.
1 pound beef (filet or sirloin; best
grade recommended)
5 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup fish sauce
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1½ tablespoons sugar
1 bunch watercress, stems
removed, approximately 3 cups
2 large onions, quartered and separated
½ teaspoon cornstarch
2 large tomatoes, each cut into
6 wedges
1. Slice the beef into 1½-inch cubes.
2. Prepare the marinade in a bowl or container with a lid by combining 2 tablespoons of the oil, the fish sauce, salt, black pepper, oyster sauce, garlic, and sugar. Mix well until the sugar is dissolved, then add the beef cubes. Cover the bowl or container and shake the cubes to evenly coat the meat (or you can simply stir). Leave the cover on and let the container sit for 20 minutes on the counter.
3. Clean the watercress and arrange it on a large serving platter or dish.
4. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil over high heat. When it is hot, add the onion. Saute for just a few minutes, then throw in the beef with its marinade and toss quickly. You need to cook for only 5 minutes over low to medium heat for the meat to be medium rare; continue tossing as it cooks. Cook it longer if you prefer.
5. When the meat is cooked, turn off the burner and stir in the cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Spoon the meat onto the watercress, add tomato wedges, and pour on the cooking juices (as much as you wish). Serve family-style with hot steamed rice.
GRILLED BEEF WITH LEMONGRASS, GARLIC, AND CHILI PASTE
Bò Xào Xt Ti
The flavorful combination of lemongrass, garlic, and chili paste makes a great marinade for sliced beef. Lemongrass is one of those herbs that add an intense flavor to meat. If you do not want to grill the meat, sautéing it with the marinade also creates a delicious dish.
½ tablespoon salt
½ tablespoon ground black
pepper
¼ tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon chili paste
¼ cup fish sauce
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 shallot, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 stalks fresh lemongrass, finely
chopped
1 pound beef (any cut that is not
too lean: beef round, tenderloin,
filet), cut into thin slices
Watercress or red lettuce for
garnish
1 scallion, chopped into rings
Chopped peanuts for garnish
1. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, sugar, chili paste, fish sauce, and water. Whisk until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Set aside.
2. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over high heat. Add the onion and shallot and cook for a few minutes. Next, add the garlic and lemongrass and cook for a minute.
3. Reduce the heat to low and add the beef slices. Quickly pour the fish sauce mixture over the meat. Toss all the ingredients together so that the sauce evenly coats the meat. The meat should cook in the juices for another 5 to 8 minutes for medium rare.
4. Arrange the meat over a bed of watercress or lettuce, and pour the pan juices over the meat. Garnish with the scallions and chopped peanuts. Serve hot with steamed rice or bun.
The majority of Little Saigon’s banquet-style restaurants are not on the Bolsa strip but on adjacent streets such as Brookhurst Avenue and Westminster and Garden Grove Boulevards. These restaurants are the only Vietnamese places that have English names, such as Seafood Cove, Capital Seafood, Emerald Palace, and the chain of Seafood Paradise restaurants that are simply numbered 1, 2, and 3. In the evening their focus is on the banquet, but in the morning these same restaurants serve dim sum, a Chinese brunch consisting of endless dumplings and tea.
BEEF TENDERLOIN CURED WITH LIME JUICE AND ONIONS
Bò Tái Chanh
This is the Vietnamese version of beef tartare. To keep the authenticity of the recipe, you will need to use a very high-quality cut of beef. If this is difficult to find (ask your butcher; don’t use the plastic-wrapped meat at the supermarket), you can still duplicate this dish by very lightly searing the meat first. Round steak is the me
at generally used in Vietnam, but with access to so many great cuts in the United States, we use beef tenderloin here. The meat must be cut into paper-thin slices with your sharpest knife before being marinated in a lime, garlic, and fish sauce combination. This is a popular dish served at nhau, a night of revelry, food, and heavy drinking. A favorite nhau meal is bo bay mon, or “seven courses of beef.”
¾ pound tenderloin
1 large onion, thinly sliced
½ cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon Sriracha chili sauce
3 tablespoons fish sauce
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable
oil for searing
1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts
1 scallion, sliced into rings
3 fresh whole Thai bird chiles
for garnish
Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
cup crushed unsalted peanuts
1. With your sharpest. thin-blade knife, try your best to slice paper-thin pieces against the grain, if your butcher has not done so. If the meat is very cold, it is easier to handle and to slice. Put the beef into a shallow dish.
The Little Saigon Cookbook: Vietnamese Cuisine and Culture in Southern California's Little Saigon Page 14