Vietnamese chicken curry (Ca ri ga)

I think I have abandoned my blog long enough now since my last post! With the holiday season right around the corner and with the last minute planning for the holiday celebration at full gear, I was forced very close to the edge of my stress-tolerance threshold. But finally, my shopping mission has been accomplished,  presents have been wrapped, baked goodies for friends have been delivered, Christmas tree and light decorations have been put up.  And one more day before my oldest son is off for the winter break, then I can breath for a little. Well just a little, because then I will be off to the kitchen again to prepare for our  Christmas feast. I guess I won't be able to truly relax until the holiday is over.
Anyway, the weather has been very wet and cold lately. Winter is finally here, so are the cold, flu and other seasonal illnesses coming along with it. I got some chicken thighs last week to make chicken noodle soup for my sons when they started their sniffles. With the left over chicken thighs, I made some chicken curry for me and my husband and it went so well with this cold, rainy weather. My husband loves it served with vermicelli while I like to dip in my bowl of curry with fresh pieces of warm baguette. Either way, it made a comfort and delightful meal in this winter season.

Tamarind chicken wings and summer vegetable soup (canh ga chien nuoc mam me, canh rau cu)

 Tamarin chicken wings (canh ga chien nuoc mam me), a very addicting and finger-licking good appetizer dish that pair perfectly with a big glass of ice-cold beer in this summer heat. This Vietnamese version of chicken wing is listed somewhere amongst the top of my appetizer dishes. It is simple to prepare and yet full of bold flavors that make you reach out for more after the first bite. It is perfect when served as a finger food for any party and delicious as a meal on its own with some steamed rice. 

On my usual weekday of work, with not much time to prepare for dinner, I marinated the chicken the night before. Once I get home from work, I only need to deep fry the chicken and drizzle them with the pre-made tamarind sauce, then prepare a quick and easy vegetable soup to go with it. In no time we are ready for a delicious meal. The soup that I made today is a root vegetable soup that not only healthy and tasty, but it also pairs perfectly with the chicken wings.

I hope this simple recipe will help bringing a little surprised, delicious meal to your dinner table or your party of all occasions.

Chicken Karaage

Chicken Karaage is a popular Japanese appetizer that I first got a chance to try it at a Ramen joint. They taste different from the American version of chicken fingers or chicken strips. In my opinion, I like it a lot more than the typical chicken strips. Karaage is a technique of deep frying food that are lightly coated in starch flour. I read  that Karaage was actually derived from  Chinese cuisine origin. It was adapted and modified to become a Japanese version of fried chicken. 

It's usually made with dark meat such as the thigh portion of the chicken. Therefore, the texture is a lot juicier and tastier than its counterpart breast meat which is usually dry. The meat is marinated in soy sauce, sake, ginger and garlic to bring out sweetness the chicken. The bite-size chicken cubes are then dredged in cornstarch or potato starch to create a light crispy coat that provides the crunch when you sink your teeth into it. 

It's essentially a great snack when eaten alone and a satisfying meal when it's paired with some steamed rice or salad. The best part is it's really easy and simple to make. The chicken meat is well marinated in the soy sauce mixture, so you don't even need any sauce to dip it with. The crunchy texture outside and the soft and juicy meat inside create an addictive combination that does not only make you mouth salivating but also makes it so hard to stop after the first,  the second or even the tenth bite....

Chicken Glass Noodle soup (Mien Ga) and Chicken rice

 Well it's chicken time again! My apology if it seems like we've been consuming to much chicken lately. But since it was given to me, it was up to me to turn it into some edible dish for my little family :)
The chicken is a free-range chicken so it's a lot leaner and the meat is a tad chewier than the mass-produced caged chicken that we usually see at the super market. It was a small bird, so it was perfect for me and my hubby.  And you know what the best part is? From a small bird I've turned into two delicious dishes, Mien Ga for me and Com Ga for my hubby and the kids!

Since I've  previously posted the recipe for the Com Ga, I won't bore you again with the details. I will just go briefly over the steps for the Mien Ga and you can refer back to my Com Ga post for the recipe if you are interested.

Crispy duck panang

If you have never tried Thai crispy duck panang, then you have been missing out on this delicious dish all this time.  We first tried this dish at a Thai restaurant in Vegas and we immediately fell for it. The crispiness of the well seasoned fried duck mixed together with the spicy and lightly sweet sauce of the panang curry lead your taste buds on a wild ride of amazing flavors. We kept on reaching out for more, one piece after another and before we know it, we were on the third bowl of rice. 

Tonight, I recreated this dish per my hubby request for dinner and I've nailed it. He gave me a ten out ten score. We both finished this whole plate in no time, and my hubby already requested me to make it again for the coming weekend.  There goes my diet plan again....Sign!!!

You can use either fresh duck or roasted duck to prepare, as for me I always like to save time (because... I'm lazy) so I detour to the short cut by using the Chinese roasted duck to cook. Since the roasted duck is already well marinated, all you have to do is to dust it in a mixture of flour and deep fry it. However, if you like to start fresh with all of your ingredients, then by all mean use a fresh duck.  You just need to give it sometimes to soak in its marinade and proceed with the same process. Alright, let's get started!

Chicken Pho

   The weather changed today, I thought it would be hot for the rest of the week but it took me by surprise with the sprinkling of rain drops this morning when I left home for work. Immediately I thought of Pho, the perfect hot and steamy noodle soup for this kind of weather.  And since I still have the chicken that my mother-in-law gave me last weekend, Chicken Pho is on our menu for dinner tonight.
      In contrast to Beef Pho (Pho Bo), a renown Vietnamese traditional rice noodle soup that has traveled through many continents, chicken pho has a subtle flavor yet delicious in its own way and a lot simpler and quicker to prepare.  With the help of my lovely hubby, I was able to serve dinner in a little more than an hour after got home from work. This mission would be impossible if I was to cook Beef Pho for dinner because the cooking process would involve the whole day if not two to prepare. The chicken pho broth is a lot leaner and healthier than the beef pho soup, but there is definitely no lack in flavor as one would usually think in the healthier version of food. 
    The ingredients and the cooking process is very similar to the beef pho version, but the cooking duration is a lot shorter for chicken pho. If you are not a big fan of beef or trying to cook Pho for the first time, chicken pho is something that you may definitely want to consider. The star anise, the coriander seed and the cinnamon flavors in the spices combine with the earthy flavor of ginger and slightly pungent sweetness of onion creating a very unique flavor for Pho. When served with bean sprout, basil, lime juice and a Vietnamese herb called "rau ram", everything comes together harmoniously in the soup creating an irresistible fragrant and flavor. I also prepared the shredded chicken with the pickled onion mixed with rau ram and fried shallots drizzled with the ginger fish sauce (nuoc mam gung) to be served as a side salad (called "goi ga").  With the perfect weather, the hot steamy noodle soup and the chicken salad are the combo to die for. Well, enough said or I will make somebody drools:)! Let's get started!

Hainam chicken (Vietnamese style)

     Another favorite dish of my hubby. He found this Chinese dish at some restaurant in LA area and brouhgt it home for me to try. I'm not a big fan of boiled chicken since they are seem a little bland to me. But to make him happy and also to turn it into a dish that i could also enjoy, I twisted a little with some Vietnamese touch and... Voila... It taste to me a hundred times better than this Chinese version. The best part my hubby loves it too!

    In the Chinese version, the boiled chicken was chopped into chunky pieces and served over rice with some scallion, ginger sauce and soy sauce. Don't you think it is a rather boring dish? So to make it looks more interesting I boiled the chicken, shredded it, mixed it with some pickled onion in vinaigrette dressing. I used some of the stock to cook the rice and the left over broth was reserved to make soup with mustard greens. As for the sauce I made the Vietnamese fish sauce with ginger. I kept the scallion/ginger sauce version and made some fried shallot to add in the flavor. I served it with the Vietnamese herb called "rau râm" mixed with shredded scallion on the side. It tastes so... yummy! Just writing about it makes me hungry now, so let's start cooking everyone!