Quick + Easy: Goi ga (Vietnamese slaw)

So, you've made pho ga and you have leftover boiled chicken and don't know what to do with it. Solution? Goi ga -- a light salad of shredded cabbage and chicken. It is crunchy and tasty, you'll love boiled chicken in a way you never thought possible.

1.5 cups of shredded chicken (eyeball it depending on how much cabbage you have, how much leftovers you're trying to get rid of, the chicken ratio you want in this)
1 shredded carrot
1 small head of shredded cabbage
1/2 thinly sliced onion
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tspn. sugar
Torn coriander, mint or Thai basil leaves (or all three!)

Crushed peanuts for garnish
Nuoc cham
Black sesame rice paper crackers (optional)

Dissolve the sugar in the white vinegar. Place the red onions in this mixture and let soak for about 15 minutes. Drain and mix the onions with the rest of the ingredients. Toss with nuoc cham to taste. Top with crushed peanuts and serve with toasted sesame rice paper if using.

Cheater's Pho Ga

There is a calm that comes over me when I start cooking this recipe -- I have a rhythm, a set sequence of actions. I can always adjust this recipe to taste the way I want it to (which I can't say for everything I cook). I never feel nervous that whoever I'm cooking it for won't like it. I don't dread the leftovers -- I could eat this every day. I feel connected to my mother and my culture. I don't feel guilty eating it. I don't feel guilty using pho ga cubes instead of roasting the aromatics myself -- this process is all about ease and comfort to me. The instructions and list of ingredients look long, but don't let that deter you. This is an easy recipe, you just have to rely on your taste buds to guide you.

This is my favorite thing to cook. Enjoy.

1 package dried pho noodles (wide rice noodles)

1 whole chicken, about 4-6 lbs.
1 onion, sliced lengthwise into chunky rounds that you can grill
1 piece of ginger, cut lengthwise into about 5 thick pieces
3 cubes of pho ga seasoning cubes*
3 tbspns. fish sauce
Salt + pepper
Water

Accoutrements:
1 thinly sliced medium white or sweet onion
1 bunch of scallions, sliced
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
Lime wedges
Thai basil
Bean sprouts
Hoisin sauce
Siracha
Pickled jalepenos (optional)**

Soak the dried pho noodles in a large bowl of warm water for at least 5 hours (I throw them into a bowl in the morning before I go to work or before bed).

Trim the chicken of big pieces of fat -- this will mean less to skim off the broth later. Place into a big stockpot (something around 6 qts.), cover with water, and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook until done, about 45 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool. Once cool, shred the chicken.*** Add the leftover chicken bones back to the pot of broth.

Add more water to the chicken broth until the pot is almost full. Grill the pieces of onion and ginger until you see nice grill marks. I do this directly on my oven range grates because I like the contact of the flame to the ginger and onion, but you can use a grill pan as well. Add it to the chicken broth. Heat the broth until boiling and add 3 of the pho ga seasoning cubes. Once the cubes dissolve, add the fish sauce, then add salt + pepper to taste. If you find that there is not enough depth to the broth, add the last pho ga cube. Simmer this mixture for about another 20 minutes. Add more water if the water level gets too low, but remember to reseason as necessary. Skim any fat off the surface of the broth.

Bring a small pot of water to boil. Using a large spider (this is easiest if you are preparing multiple bowls of pho), place a handful of pho noodles into the boiling water. Mix it around the spider with a pair of chopsticks to make sure all the noodles are submerged. The noodles will cook in about 45 seconds - 1 minute. Lift the spider from the water to drain, and place the cooked noodles into a bowl. Top the noodles with shredded chicken and a bit of the chopped cilantro, scallions and sliced onions. Ladle the broth over the noodles. Repeat as necessary.

Add lime juice, bean sprouts, Thai basil, hoisin sauce and Siracha to taste.

Enjoy!



* These cubes can be found in most large Asian supermarkets. If you live in Cincinnati, you can find them at CAM, Saigon Market at Findlay Market or Jungle Jim's.
** To make quick pickled jalepenos, slice about 3-4 jalepenos into thick rounds and place into a jar or bowl. Heat up about a cup of white vinegar, 2 tbspns. white sugar, and a 1 tspn. salt. until the sugar and salt dissolve. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the jalepenos, then cover the jar or bowl until the mixture cools. When it cools, place it into the refrigerator until ready to use.
*** I like to separate the meat into a pile of white meat and a pile of dark meat, just in case I have diners with a preference.

Quick + Easy: Potato & Broccoli Soup

After a few fleeting days of glorious fall weather last week, a winter chill is slowly starting to creep into Cincinnati. The changing of the seasons means more than just a change in the availability of ingredients for me -- I stop craving salads. I crave Indian food. I eat more soup.

I love recipes that use potatoes to make a smooth rich soup, rather than a starchy roux or cream. It also helps make the soup more substantial to me, like I am eating a proper meal rather than eating a soup to start. This soup is super fast, cheap, and easy to make. Whenever I am done with a chunk of parmesan cheese, I throw the rind into the freezer to use for soups. However, this soup is still delicious without it. This recipe can be made vegetarian by using vegetable broth rather than chicken broth. It can be made vegan by subbing the veggie broth, omitting the parmesan, and using a squeeze of lemon at the end to brighten the soup (which I did anyway). You can also make a parmesan crisp if you feel fancy, but otherwise, this hearty simple soup + some sourdough rolls did just the trick to warm my bones tonight.

(makes 4 servings)

1 head of broccoli

1 tbspn. of butter

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks

1.5 cups of chicken broth

1.5 cups water

Salt + pepper

1 parmesan rind (optional)

1/2 cup of parmesan, shredded

Lemon wedges (optional)

Cut the broccolli florets into little pieces and set aside. Roughly chop the tough stems of the broccolli and set aside with the potatoes. 

Melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the onion and sautee until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, potato + broccoli stem mix, broth, water, salt + pepper, and parmesan rind to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, simmer for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli florets and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove the parmesan rind.

Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Return to pot and season with salt + pepper to taste.

Top each bowl with some parmesan and some lemon juice if desired.

Quick + Easy: The easiest dip ever.

I went back and forth about posting this -- it's so simple, was it even worth posting a recipe for it? But I think it's delicious, and I was very excited about it when I first made it (growing up in a household of primarily Asian cuisine, everything not Asian is an exciting discovery for me).

I make this when I crave hummus but I'm too lazy to go to the grocery store. It makes a great quick addition to an array of appetizers, or even a quick lunch (which is why I made it today). Serve it with pitas, pretzels, veggies. Experiment with flavored oils (I used white truffle oil today and it felt so decadent). Throw in whatever herbs you have on hand. Just start with a can of beans.

1 can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 tbspns. olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 lemon, juiced

Salt + pep to taste

Process all of the ingredients together in a processor. Done.