Goi Ga Bap Cai (Chicken and Cabbage Salad), Made with Monk Fruit Sweetener
Vietnamese dishesSaladsNationwide50 minutes
Goi ga bap cai is the plate that lightens a heavy table. The pleasure is in crisp cabbage, sweet chicken and a dressing that balances sour against salty. The hard part is that cabbage releases water, and a salad left to sit goes limp with a puddle at the bottom.
The poaching pot decides most of it. The chicken goes straight from the pot into ice water for 15 minutes, which tightens the skin and keeps the meat white. The shallots come off the heat the moment they turn golden and sit for 3 minutes before draining, so they stay crisp.
This batch weighs about 1.8kg, at roughly 147 calories per 100g.
Method
Clean the 1kg chicken, rub it thoroughly with salt for 2 to 3 minutes, and rinse very well.
Put the chicken in a pot with water to cover, add 1 teaspoon salt and 3 shallots. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and poach for another 15 minutes.
Lift out the cooked chicken, rinse, and soak in ice water for 15 minutes so the skin is crisp and the meat stays white, then tear into strips.
Shred the 500g cabbage and rinse, cut the carrot into fine strips, cut the kaffir lime leaf into threads two finger joints long, and thinly slice the remaining 3 shallots.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil and fry the shallots over low heat. The moment they turn golden, take the pan off the heat, wait 3 minutes, then lift them out.
Mix the dressing: 4 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 3 minced garlic cloves, 1 minced chili and the juice of 1/2 lime, stirred until dissolved.
Put the cabbage, carrot, chicken, fried shallots and kaffir lime leaf in a large bowl, pour over the dressing, and toss gently for 3 minutes, then taste and adjust.
Tips
Rub a few lime slices with a little salt over the chicken for 5 minutes, then rinse 2 to 3 times to clear the smell.
Fifteen minutes in ice water after poaching gives crisp skin and white meat.
Let the dressing stand a few minutes so the kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolves fully, as an early pour tastes flat.
Let the fried shallots cool completely before they go in, since warm ones soften the cabbage.
Toss the salad right before serving, since standing cabbage releases water and dilutes the dressing.
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.