awesome vietnamese chicken salad
peanuts: in a mortar and pestle , slightly crush the peanuts
mushroom seasoning salt brings a very distinct , earthy flavor to the sauce
you can find it at gourmet specialty stores or in most korean markets
frying onions is quite easy
you have to chop the onion first , and then heat about 1 inch of canola oil in a small skillet
fry the onion in the hot oil , stirring frequently to prevent the onion from burning until the color is evenly golden brown
drain the oil on paper towels
set aside , if you want to make much more at once , you can do it and then keep in a box to use for next time
pickles daikon and carrot is great for this salad , so if you have time , please make those pickles ready , you can use them for many different kind of foods
daikon is an asian turnip that looks like a large white carrot
this root is perfect for making broth for the natural sweetness it provides
discard the root when the broth is ready
vietnamese mint has a very different flavor from regular mint , the taste is much better too
it also has darker vein markings on the leaves
rau ram and ngo gai are vietnamese coriander leaves , you can find them at the asian market very easy in vietnamese grocery store
to prevent the herbs from darkening , chop them at the very last minute , toss them into the salad and serve immediately
now you have everything you need , are you sure ? okay ! let's start !
preparing the chicken: pour 2 litres of water into a pot and boil then add chicken breasts , 3 tablespoons salt , ginger , white onion , if you could add anymore vegetables which have unami flavor like carrot , leeks , turnips etcthat would be perfect cook until the chickens are well done
remove the whole chickens from the pot
let them cool a bit until you can handle them without discomfort and then sliced into thin 5 cm lengths
to avoid chicken meat of the fishy taste , wash with warm water , salt and then boil the water before add chicken into the pot
salad sauce: in a bowl , combine: chili paste: 1 tablespoon
horn pepper or red hot chilli scrushed
4 tablespoons chunk rock sugar
1 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
lime juice: 4 tablespoons
fish sauce: 6 tablespoons
3 garlic clove finely minced
hot water: 2 cups
mix well , and then test if the salinity , light , sour , sweet , taste characteristics are stable and moderate
this is not easy to make this sauce
even with local people
here i will tell you some ways to make a perfect one
1) the best way to do is make a glass of lemonade with sweet taste , add minced garlic , red hot chilli scrushed mixed into the lemonade
then slowly pour the fish sauce in the salad sauce also test the taste at the same time until it tasted sweet , bitterness , sour , salty
2) you may need follow this second way if this is the first time you make the salad sauce ( 30gr sour juice , 30gr sugar , 30gr fish sauce , 100gr warm water) galic minced , red hot chilli scrushed
if you don't have vinegar , just add more lemon juice
it will be more simple for you at the next time , when you got used to it , but need to remember an important
so after you are done , galic , chilli will float on and have a beautiful look
if you put the galic minced , red hot chilli scrushed on first , then pour vinegar , lemonade into later ? the garlic and chilli will sink to the bottom
dosage depends on individual taste , try to adjust it appropriate as your own taste
the way you feel the best
vegetable: carrot and daikon grated , then washed out the salt , squeezed them dry , set aside carrot and daikon
in a large bowl , combine: peanut oil or olive oil is ok: 6 tablespoons
fried yellow onions , not too browned: 3 tablespoons
red onion , thinly sliced lengthwise: 1 small
lime: 4 needed to make 4 to 6 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice
seedless cucumber: 1 / 2
carrots and daikon
daikon turnip , peeled and half of the daikon shredded: 1
asia cabbage , finely shredded: 2 cups
bell pepper: 3 , use half of each only
bean sprouts: 2 cups
purple cabbage : 1 cup
5 lime leaves
3 tablespoons vietnamese coriander rau ram
mix well
when youre ready to serve: add all the chopped herbs and seeds in the list bellow into the mixed vegetable bow above:
vietnamese mint leaves , chopped: 3 tablespoon
celery leaves: 2 sprigs , thinly sliced celery
ng gai : 3 sprigs , chopped
fresh coriander leaves , finely chopped: 1 / 2 cup
thai basil , chopped: 3 tablespoons
sesame seeds: 2 tablespoons
chopped roasted peanuts: 1 / 2 cup
pour salad sauce slowly into the mixed vegetable bow , not pour all the sauce , please , you have to check the salinity , light , sour , sweet , taste characteristics again and make sure everything are ok
toss well , more salt and chilli
dressing and topping:
in a larger plate , use hand or clamp , chopsticks , pour the salad into it and sprinkle the peanuts around
set a few sprigs of celery leaves , fresh coriander leaves , on top
is the salad setting on a white plate and you still want it to have great look ? just trim a horn chilli or a large tomato to shape it become a flower , plug it on top of the salad
if you don't have enough vegetable ? try to make chicken salad in a simple way , the previous artice that i wrote
vietnamese chicken salad is a great salad and for me it takes 35 to 40 minutes to complete
you may feel it look quite difficult , but its really simple
be patience and dont give up
eat with chopsticks and enjoy !