Goi ga (Crunchy Vietnamese chicken salad)

Ingredients

• 1 chicken breast
• 1 tbsp salt
• 150 g thinly shredded cabbage
• 150 g thinly shredded red cabbage
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup loosely packed mint, roughly torn
• 1 cup loosely packed coriander, roughly torn
• ½ cup loosely packed Vietnamese mint leaves
• 2 - 3 leaves Vietnamese perilla, shredded
• 1 small carrot, thinly julienned
• ½ cup fried shallots, to garnish
• ½ cup crushed roasted peanuts, to garnish

For the nước chấm dressing

• 1 red bird’s eye chilli
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tsp sugar
• ¼ cup (60 ml) lime juice
• 1 tbsp fish sauce

Instructions

1. To make the nước chấm dressing, pound the chilli and garlic in a mortar and pestle to a thick paste. Stir through the sugar and lime juice, tasting to ensure a good balance of sweet and sour. Stir through the fish sauce and ¼ cup of water, then set aside.
2. To poach the chicken, combine 1.5 litres water and 1 tbsp salt in a small, heavy-based saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken breast, turn off heat, cover tightly and stand for 20 minutes. If you like, use a thermometer to test the internal temperature of the chicken breast. It should be about 62-64˚C. Sprinkle some salt on your hands and shred the chicken into thin strips.
3. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, nuoc cham dressing and remaining salad ingredients. Scatter liberally with the fried shallots and peanuts and serve.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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