a cold, rainy, crappy day…means comfort food.
matthew wasn’t feeling well either, so i wanted to make a soup. i had rice and chicken at home, called my mama and made chao ga, which she makes for us when we’re feeling sick.
it’s better with homemade stock, but since i didn’t plan ahead, here’s the quick version. and of course – vietnamese love their herbs! throw in green onions, coriander, basil…
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vietnamese chao ga / chicken and rice porridge or congee
time: 45 min | serves: 5-6
what you need:
- 2-3 pieces of chicken (thighs or breasts)
- 2-3 cups of jasmine rice (depending on how many people you’re feeding)
- 1-2 cans of chicken broth (or whatever you have – you will dilute this out with water)
- olive oil
- garlic
- salt, pepper, and fish sauce to taste
- herbs if desired
get it done:
- boil the ckicken in salt water until cooked (about 20-30 minutes)
- place chicken in cold water and shred them when cooled – save the chicken broth
- rinse rice in a strainer (make sure the colanders holes are small so rice doesnt fall through!)
- in a large pot, place 2 tbsp of olive oil and sauté some garlic – don’t let it burn! (low-med heat)
- stir in the rice for a few minutes, enough to get fragrant
- pour in broth and heat to medium and cook until the rice is fully cooked
- season with fish sauce, salt, and pepper
- when ready to eat, add the shredded chicken. serve with chopped scallions, cilantro, and other herbs.
note: mama’s recipes are usually ‘eyeballed’ – so if you need more broth, add more water or cans of chicken broth. everyone has a different preference on how thick they want their soup!
