Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Gỏi Gà)

Ingredients & Cooking Directions for Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Gỏi Gà)

Estimated Servings: 4-5

Step 1: Prepare the cabbage

½ small head shredded cabbage

1 teaspoon salt

5 cups water

In a large bowl of water, add in the salt and shredded cabbage. Then mix everything and allow the cabbage to soak in the salty water for about 30-40 minutes. Finally, rinse it, drain it and set it aside.

Step 2: Cook the chicken

1 large chicken breast

4 cups of water

Turn your stove on high heat and bring a small pot of water to a boil. When the water comes to a boil, add in the chicken and cook it for about 10-15 minutes on medium heat or until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Then transfer the cooked chicken on a plate and allow it to cool. When it is cool enough to handle, shred the chicken and set it aside.

Step 3: Make the dressing

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped shallots

2 tablespoons sugar

½ cup warm water

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon fish sauce

¼ cup julienned carrots

½ teaspoon chopped Thai chilies

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Turn your stove on medium high heat and add in some oil, garlic and shallots into a small pan. Fry the garlic and shallots until lightly golden brown and fragrant. Then drain the garlic and shallots through a strainer to separate them from the oil. Pour the sugar, water, lemon juice, fish sauce, carrots, chilies, salt, and pepper into the bowl of garlic-shallot oil and whisk everything up to make the dressing and then set it aside.

***Reserve the fried garlic and shallots for the salad topping.

Step 4: Assemble the dish

Vietnamese coriander (rau răm)

Mint leaves

Cilantro

Chopped roasted peanuts

Pour the dressing on top of the cabbage and mix it up well. Then add in the chicken and toss it with the cabbage and dressing. Top the salad with Vietnamese coriander, mint leaves, cilantro, roasted peanuts and fried garlic and shallots.

How to Make Thai Iced Tea (Thai Tea Boba / Bubble Tea)

Ingredients & Cooking Directions for Thai Iced Tea (Thai Tea Boba / Bubble Tea)

Estimated Servings: 1

Step 1: Make the syrup

1 cup water

½ cup brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon honey

To make the syrup, pour the water in a small pot or pan and turn your stove on medium high. Then add in all the sugars and honey stirring everything together until the sugars completely dissolve. Cook the syrup for about five minutes on medium high heat and then allow it to cool down for about 30 minutes.

Step 2: Prepare the tapioca

4 cups of water

½ cup tapioca pearls

Turn the stove on high heat and bring the water to a boil.  When the water comes to a boil, add in the tapioca pearls and allow them to cook for about 15 minutes or until they float on top of the boiling water. Then  turn off the stove, put a lid on the pot and allow the pearls to sit in the hot water for another 15 minutes or until they are plump and soft. Next, drain the pearls and rinse them under cold running water. Finally add the pearls in the syrup that was made earlier to preserve and sweeten them.

Step 3: Brew the tea

2 cups of water

¼ cup Thai tea

1 tablespoon sugar

Turn your stove on high heat and bring the water to a boil. When the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat, add in the tea and let it seep for about 3-5 minutes or until it turns the water into a bright orange color. Strain and filter the tea into a container; then add in the sugar and stir it until it dissolves. Finally allow the tea to cool in the refrigerator until it is ready to serve.

Step 4: Assemble the drink

1 tablespoon whole milk

2 tablespoons condensed milk

Ice

Pour the condense milk into the bottom of the glass, add in the tea and mix them up until well combined. Then pour in the tapioca pearls, ice, whole milk, and serve the drink with a large bubble tea straw.

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and Cucumber Sauce

Ingredients & Cooking Directions for Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and Cucumber Sauce

Estimated Servings: 20 chicken skewers

Step 1: Marinate the chicken

2 pounds chicken breast strips

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon crushed coriander

¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon massaman curry paste

¼ cup coconut milk

Add all of the ingredients into a large bowl except for the chicken, and mix well. Then add the chicken to the marinade making sure that all of the chicken pieces are completely coated with the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the chicken to marinate for 30 minutes or more in the refrigerator.

Step 2: Make peanut sauce

1 teaspoon massaman curry paste

2 tablespoons fish sauce

3 tablespoons tamarind juice

3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon paprika powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 cup coconut milk

Crushed peanuts

Turn your stove on medium heat and add all of the ingredients in this step into a small pot. Stir everything together until well combined and smooth. Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl and top it with crushed peanuts.

Step 3: Prepare cucumber sauce

½ cup vinegar

½ cup sugar

Chopped Thai chilies

Diced cucumbers

Diced red onions

Turn your stove on medium low and add the vinegar and sugar into a small pot or pan. Stir everything around until the sugar dissolves in the vinegar. Then pour the vinegar mixture into a container and add the onions, chili and cumbers. Mix everything well and transfer into a serving bowl.

Step 4: Cook the chicken

Water to soak skewers

Soak the skewer in some water for about 30 minutes. Then thread the marinated chicken strips onto your soaked skewers. Make sure to add oil or cooking spray on your cooking surface. Cook the chicken on a grill or grill pan on medium high heat for about 2-3 minutes on each side making sure you brush some additional marinade as you are turning them. The chicken satay should have grill marks on the outside and are completely cooked on the inside. Serve the chicken satay with the sauces made earlier.

How to make Steamed Rice Cakes – COW CAKE (Bánh Bò)

Ingredients & Cooking Directions for Bánh Bò - Cow Cakes

Kitchen Equipment used in this Video

Steamer: http://amzn.to/2mHaRl5  

Portable gas cooker: http://amzn.to/2ox0xLQ  

Clear bowls: http://amzn.to/2nAy4Um  

Whisk: http://amzn.to/2oSVZRu

Glass food storage: http://amzn.to/2oe4Ajh

Stainless steel pot:  http://amzn.to/2p4NIeC

Measuring cup: http://amzn.to/2niHwi5  

Small white bowls: http://amzn.to/2p5ydCv  

Rectangle plate: http://amzn.to/2oSW1Jt

Estimated Servings: 30 small cakes

Step 1: Prepare flour mix

2 cups rice flour

¼ cup tapioca flour

1 ¼ cups water

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

When making steamed rice cakes start off with by pouring all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix them together. Then cover the mixture and set it aside to let it rest for 1-2 hours.

Step 2: Make sweet cream

¾ cup coconut cream

1 ½ cups sugar

¼ cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add all your ingredients in a small pot and turn your stove on medium low. Then stir all of the ingredients together until the sugar completely dissolves. Remove the mixture from the heat when it is warm but not boiling. Finally allow it to cool off completely at room temperature.

Step 3: Color the cows

Your favorite food colors

Pour the sweet cream into the flour mixture and mix it up. Then divide the mixture into however many colors you would like your cow cakes to be. Add your food colors into the different containers and stir them up. Finally allow them to rest for 1 hour before steaming.

Step 4: Steam the cakes

Water for steaming

Make sure to fill the bottom compartment of your steamer with water ¾ of the way up. Place the top compartment over the bottom compartment and add the small bowls or a muffin tin on the top compartment of your steamer. Cover your steamer with a lid and turn your stove on high. When the water comes to a boil and steams up, pour the colorful mixture in the bowls or muffin tin. Cover the steamer with a lid and steam the cakes for about 10-15 minutes or until they are spongy, fluffy and the tops erupt.

***IMPORTANT: Make sure to wipe the water off your steamer lid every 2-3 minutes of steaming to prevent it from falling into your cakes or tie a kitchen towel on the inside of your lid to absorb the water. This will prevent your cakes from being too wet and having the wrong consistency.

Enjoy!