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.