A few days ago when the weather was actually cloudy and cold and the barometer resembled autumn a bit more than today, I wanted to make a Vietnamese Rice Porridge with shredded chicken to make us feel warm and safe from the weather. I knew I would have to make a Vietnamese Cabbage Chicken Salad, Goi Ga, to go with the otherwise, very mild tasting porridge. Goi (cabbage salad), is really easy to make. I remember whenever my parents made it back home I was always captivated everytime I tasted it. It boggled my mind how they could put together such a seemingly complex salad with so many great tasting flavors. The variations of colors from the exotic herbs, tomatoes, and cabbage, along with the combinations of fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar always made this dish so tantalizingly intimidating.
When I moved out on my own, I was unwilling to leave this dish behind and I was determined to learn to make it. Before I moved, I bought the book, Quick and Easy Vietnamese by Nancie McDermott. McDermott has truly mastered many Asian dishes. She’s written many different books ranging from Thai Cuisine to the many Asian stir fry dishes. Quick and Easy Vietnamese has really been my saving grace for me to remain connected to my parent’s dishes while I’ve been away from home.
Yes, in case you were wondering, I have asked my parents how to make their recipes but every recipe to them is an approximation. They’ve actually rarely given me any guidelines clear enough for a newbie, like me, to work on! McDermott’s recipe are clear and has a more slightly Americanize twist, for example using a lot of chicken breast instead of whole chicken, but her flavors come pretty darn close to what I’ve had from my parents. I used her recipe for Goi Ga with a few adaptations of my own that I remembered from my parents’ Goi. It’s usually served with rice porridge and you can also substitute the shredded chicken for cooked shrimp, which is also very good. Everyone has their own adaptations to this recipe but here are mine.
Yes, in case you were wondering, I have asked my parents how to make their recipes but every recipe to them is an approximation. They’ve actually rarely given me any guidelines clear enough for a newbie, like me, to work on! McDermott’s recipe are clear and has a more slightly Americanize twist, for example using a lot of chicken breast instead of whole chicken, but her flavors come pretty darn close to what I’ve had from my parents. I used her recipe for Goi Ga with a few adaptations of my own that I remembered from my parents’ Goi. It’s usually served with rice porridge and you can also substitute the shredded chicken for cooked shrimp, which is also very good. Everyone has their own adaptations to this recipe but here are mine.
Goi Ga
Adapted from Nancie McDermott’s Quick and Easy Vietnamese
2 cups cabbage, cut into thin pieces
1 tomato cut into chunks
¼ cup pickled carrots and daikon (dua chua), you can usually buy a container of this in any Vietnamese store. They’re great in sandwiches also.
1/3 cup thinly sliced onion
½ cup or mint and rau ram (in my opinion rau ram really give the goi its special flavor)
1 cups shredded chicken breast
1/3 cup of salted peanuts (chopped)
For the dressing
1 juicy lime
1 1/2 Tbs fish sauce
1 Tbs vinegar
1 ½ Tbs sugar
1 Tsp black pepper
Put the chicken breast in about 10 cups of water and bring to boil then lower to simmer until cooked.
Take out the chicken breast and allow to cool. Use the water to make the Chao Ga, Rice Porridge with chicken.
To make the dressing combine lime juice, fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, and pepper. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
Combine cabbage, onions, pickled veggies, tomatoes, and shredded herbs. Pour sauce all over and toss to incorporate all sauce. Add chopped nuts, mix, and serve. You can serve right away, but if you allow the salad to sit in the fridge for a while then the flavors will be more pronounced. I love it even more the next day.
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