← Nouns Cooking · Vietnamese

Ingredients

• 1.6 kg whole chicken
• 2.5 l Water
• 4 cm piece Ginger, sliced
• 1 Onion, halved
• 3 Shallot, peeled
• 2 tsp salt, plus extra for rubbing
• 2 tbsp Fish sauce
• 400 g Jasmine rice, rinsed until the water runs clear
• 2 tbsp oil or chicken fat skimmed from the stock
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Ground turmeric
• 1 Onion, very thinly sliced and soaked in iced water
• 1 bunch Vietnamese coriander (rau răm), leaves picked
• 2 Lime, juiced
• 1 tsp Sugar
• ½ tsp Black pepper
• 2 Bird's eye chilli, sliced
• 150 g Green (unripe) papaya, shredded (optional)
• 1 Carrot, shredded
• 3 Spring onion, sliced
• chilli sauce, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Rub the chicken all over with salt, rinse it and put it in a snug pot with the water, ginger, onion, shallots and salt. Bring to the boil, skim off the foam, then turn the heat down so the water barely trembles. Poach for 35–40 min, until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 75°C (165°F) and the juices run clear.
2. Lift the chicken into a bowl of iced water for 5 min to firm up the skin, then drain. Strain the stock and season it with the fish sauce.
3. Heat the oil or chicken fat in a heavy pot over medium heat and fry the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the drained rice and turmeric and stir for 2–3 min until every grain is coated and yellow.
4. Pour in 600 ml of the hot stock, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 min. Turn off the heat and leave it covered for 10 min before fluffing (or use a rice cooker).
5. Pull the chicken into strips, discarding the bones. Toss it with the drained onion, rau răm, lime juice, sugar, pepper, chilli and a pinch of salt.
6. Pile the rice onto plates, top with the chicken salad and add papaya, carrot and chilli sauce on the side. Serve each plate with a small bowl of the hot stock sprinkled with spring onion.

Tips

• Keep the poaching water at a gentle tremble rather than a boil; it keeps the breast juicy and the stock clear.
• No rau răm? Use mint and coriander together; the flavour is different but still bright.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Delightful Plate SBS Food (Luke Nguyen)