Goi ga (Vietnamese chicken salad)

Goi ga – Vietnamese chicken and cabbage salad – features pretty regularly around here, especially in the summer. Both girls eat it happily, as long as I don’t make it too hot. Learning from experience, I now add about half the chilli when I prepare the salad, and keep the rest aside for Adam and I to add at the table.

I grow Vietnamese coriander (also called Vietnamese mint) in the summer, so added a few leaves with the regular mint. The dressing is closely based on Nigella Lawson’s recipe in Nigella Bites.

Goi ga (Vietnamese chicken salad)
(serves 4)

• 400g leftover chicken (or two chicken breasts, if cooking fresh)
• 3 Tb fish sauce (nam pla)
• 1 Tb rice vinegar
• juice of 1 1/2 limes
• 2 Tb sugar
• 1 red chilli, seeded and minced (or to taste)
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 3 Tb vegetable oil
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small cabbage, cored and shredded (I usually use white cabbage, but Savoy or Chinese cabbage work too)
• 3-4 carrots, grated
• a large bunch of mint, leaves only, chopped (I add some Vietnamese mint leaves as well, when available)
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

1. Cook the chicken breasts, if using fresh (I usually grill them). Set aside until cool enough to handle, then shred by hand.
2. Stir together the fish sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, sugar, chilli, garlic, black pepper and oil in a bowl, then add the onion. Mix well, then leave the onions to marinate a bit.
3. In a large serving bowl, toss together the cabbage, carrot, mint and chicken. Pour over the dressing and toss well to combine. Scatter the peanuts on top and serve.

Tags: Asian food, cabbage, carrots, chicken, chillies, dairy-free, gluten-free, limes, mint, Vietnamese food