Cha Bong Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Floss), Made with Monk Fruit Sweetener
Vietnamese dishesDried and PreservedNationwide8 hours marinating, about 1 hour cooking and drying in the pan
Chicken floss is at its best when the strands are light, dry and balanced between salty and sweet, ready to spoon over congee or pile into a banh mi. The tricky part is chicken breast, which turns tough if it dries out, and the strands break up if the pan work is rushed.
The breast is cut with the grain into pieces 2 to 3cm thick and marinated in the fridge for a full 8 hours. During the drying stage, a little of the poaching liquid is spooned back in to keep the strands soft.
This batch weighs about 1.2kg, at roughly 105 calories per 100g.
Method
Rinse the chicken breast in lightly salted water to clear any odor, drain, pat dry, then cut with the grain into pieces 2 to 3cm thick. Peel and finely chop the shallots and garlic.
Put the chicken in a bowl with the chopped shallot and garlic, 1/3 tablespoon salt, 1/2 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 3 tablespoons fish sauce. Mix well, cover tightly and marinate in the fridge for 8 hours, ideally overnight.
Tip the marinated chicken into a pan and stir over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes until firm. Add 1/2 bowl of water, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Lift out the meat to cool and keep the cooking liquid.
Shred the meat with a mortar and pestle, or pulse it in a blender, or pound it lightly and finish it in a stand mixer until the strands are as fine as you like.
Return the meat to the pan and stir constantly over low heat for about 30 minutes, spooning in a little cooking liquid every 3 to 5 minutes. Alternatively, dry it in the oven at 100C for 20 minutes, adding liquid and stirring every 5 minutes.
Spread the floss on a tray and let it cool completely before packing it into an airtight jar.
Tips
Cutting the meat along the long grain gives longer, better looking strands.
A little pepper or chili powder added at the marinating stage makes the floss spicy.
Marinate the chicken breast overnight in the fridge, since a rushed marinade leaves the center of the strands bland.
Spooning in the cooking liquid a little at a time during drying keeps the strands soft and well seasoned.
Floss that is still warm when jarred traps steam and turns moldy quickly, so let it cool completely.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.