A cool lunch calls for mien tron ga. The pleasure is in the springy glass noodles coated in chili and hoisin sauce, with cool crunchy cucumber running through. The one thing to watch is the heat of the sauce, since a hot sauce cooks the cucumber and takes away its snap.
The sauce is made separately in a pan with fried spring onion, simmered for 2 to 3 minutes and then left to cool a little. The chicken poaches for 30 minutes and is shredded only once completely cool, which keeps the grain of the meat intact.
This batch weighs about 882g, at roughly 173 calories per 100g.
Method
Rub the chicken with salt and lime juice for about 5 minutes, then rinse and drain.
Blanch the glass noodles in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes until soft, then lift them out. Wash the cucumber, split it lengthways, scrape out the seeds and cut into matchsticks. Chop the spring onion, cut the cilantro into lengths and crush the roasted peanuts.
Put the chicken in a pot of water with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon MSG. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower and poach for 30 minutes. Lift the chicken out, let it cool completely, then tear into bite sized pieces.
Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil in a pan and fry the spring onion until fragrant. Add 1 tablespoon chili sauce, 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1/2 tablespoon seasoning powder and 1 tablespoon water, stir until dissolved, simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, then turn off the heat.
Put the cucumber, blanched noodles and shredded chicken in a bowl, pour over the sauce and toss until everything is coated.
Arrange on a plate and scatter over the chopped cilantro and crushed peanuts.
Tips
Let the sauce cool to just warm before tossing, so the cucumber keeps its crunch.
How much sauce goes in is a matter of taste, so add it a little at a time and taste as you go.
A rinse under cold water after blanching firms up the noodles and stops them clumping.
Scraping out the cucumber seeds before cutting keeps the plate from going watery.
A few minutes of rest lets the kOBE Monk Fruit Blend dissolve fully, as sauce poured too early tastes flat.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.