Ingredients
Serves 4-6500g drunken chicken, cold and shredded (see recipe below)
350g cabbage, finely shredded
1 medium carrot, cut into fine matchstick size
1½ tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons Vietnamese mint, shredded
1 tablespoon mint, shredded
1 tablespoon coriander, shredded
1 tablespoon Thai basil, shredded
1 tablespoon garlic chives, chopped
2 tablespoon crispy fried shallots
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
Dressing:
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 garlic clove, crushed
Drunken Chicken
This traditional dish is marinated, steamed or poached and then served cold on a platter with other salad ingredients and steamed rice. In the above recipe, the cold, cooked chicken is shredded and mixed into Vietnamese style coleslaw. Although the recipe calls for a whole chicken to be cooked, only half will be needed for the recipe above.
Ingredients
1 whole free range chicken, rinsed and dried inside and out with paper towelling
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 cup Chinese rice wine
5cm piece ginger, sliced
4 spring onions
Method
Mix all the salad ingredients including the drunken chicken together in a bowl.
In a separate bowl mix the dressing ingredients together and pour over the salad.
Combine the two and serve on a platter
Garnish with some fresh herbs at the end.
Drunken Chicken Method
Place the chicken in a bowl and rub with the salt and sugar, inside and out and allow to stand for 1 hour in the fridge.
Pour the rice wine over the bird and marinate for 8 hours or overnight, turning from time to time.
Place the ginger and spring onions on a deep plate and place the chicken on top as well as all the wine.
Place a steamer rack in a wok or use a large bamboo steamer basket and place the plate with the chicken on the rack. Add enough water to almost reach the rack. Cover the wok or bamboo basket with a lid and steam the chicken for 45-50 minutes, always checking the water level.
When ready, transfer the chicken to a plate to cool before chopping into manageable pieces or shred for the above salad.