Vietnamese Chicken Salad
Goi ga - Vietnamese chicken salad - is eaten across Vietnam as a beer snack and appetizer, one of the cuisine's most effective dishes for hot weather when something cool, sharp, and light is needed. A whole chicken is poached and cooled, then shredded by hand along the grain - hand-shredding creates irregular surfaces that trap the dressing and produces a fibrous chew distinct from knife-cut meat. Shredded cabbage, onion, and carrot combine with Vietnamese coriander (rau ram), cilantro, and mint, all tossed in a dressing of fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, chili, and garlic. The dressing's acidity lifts the chicken's mildness, while the fish sauce's depth meets the vegetables' watery crunch to create a balance that is light yet not bland. Fried shallots and crushed roasted peanuts scattered on top add a crunchy dimension that elevates the salad from simple to layered. At bia hoi - Vietnam's fresh-beer street bars - goi ga is among the first dishes ordered, arriving minutes before the first cold glass.
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Instructions
- 1
Poach chicken breast for 12 minutes, cool, then shred.
- 2
Julienne cabbage and carrot finely.
- 3
Mix fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and garlic for dressing.
- 4
Combine chicken and vegetables, then toss lightly with dressing.
- 5
Top with cilantro and peanuts, then serve immediately.
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