hello hi everyone! Wesley here. Today we’re adding to our series on foods from the Bay Area restaurant scene with a lemongrass chicken vermicelli noodle bowl inspired by the one found at Miss Saigon here in Oakland, CA. For those who are not familiar, the vermicelli rice bowl is a classic Vietnamese take out dish here in the states that prominently features (as you might guess) vermicelli rice noodles, and can be accompanied by various forms of veggies and aromatics. This includes the carrots, cucumbers, bean sprouts, and lettuce that we’ll be going with in our version today, but can also include additional garnishments like cilantro, crushed peanuts, mint leaves, and more as well. Then rounding all of this off will be the highlight of the dish, which is some crispy chicken thigh marinated with a bit of lemongrass for a super classic, aromatic marinade. Hope you try it!
serves 3
INGREDIENTS
3 chicken thighs
2 medium carrots
1/4 cup cucumber (about 2 inches)
8oz bean sprouts
6-8 butter lettuce leaves
8oz vermicelli rice noodles
peanut oil
INGREDIENTS (marinade)
4 tbsp fish sauce
2 lemongrass stalks
4 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 lime juice
2 tbsp brown sugar
4 cloves garlic
INGREDIENTS (“nuoc cham” sauce)
4 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 lime juice
2 tbsp brown sugar
2-3 Thai chiles
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup water
PREP
JULIENNE the carrots, set aside
JULIENNE the cucumber, set aside
SOAK the vermicelli in boiling water for 5 minutes until tender, then strain and set aside
CRUSH 4 cloves of garlic, and add to a food processor
REMOVE the outer layer of the lemongrass stalks, then rough chop, and add to a food processor
ADD all remaining marinade ingredients to the food processor, then blitz in 3 second pulses until a thick paste forms
ADD marinade to a ziplock bag with chicken thighs, and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to one hour
REMOVE the chicken thighs from the marinade and gently brush off any large chunks of lemongrass remaining behind
SLICE the Thai chiles, and add to a separate mixing bowl
CRUSH and mince 4 cloves of garlic, and add to the bowl
ADD all other nuoc cham ingredients to the mixing bowl, and stir to combine
ON THE STOVE
HEAT a wok as hot ass possible, then add 4 tbsp peanut oil, and long yao
ADD the chicken thigh one piece at a time, sear for 2 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 1 minute until an internal temperature of 165F is reached
REST the chicken thigh for 5 minutes, then slice into strips
ADD the vermicelli to a bowl, followed by the carrots, cucumber, bean sprouts, and sliced chicken
FINISH with nuoc cham sauce