Thit Ga Bop Rau Ram- Hue Chicken Salad

A love story, or why did the chicken cross the road? Hmmm, sometimes, the road finds us.  A lovely woman came back into my life, and when she brings you a chicken, make chicken salad! If it slaps you into tomorrow, hang on and marry her!

I have spent more than half my life in a kitchen, so when An and I began dating, I figured I could woo her with dinner (or lose her, pending my cooking skills!) With a little luck, I was able to steal her heart! Eventually, she chose a special night to cook.  Her mother taught her this dish, and I was hooked.  

I have eaten many Vietnamese chicken salads, but the herbs and zesty onion make this my favorite.  I am not including any measurements as it is all to taste.  I prefer a huge amount of herbs and lime juice.  You can add other garnishes also, including thinly sliced chiles, fried onions, or cracked black pepper.  I add all of the above.  

When I make this, it is not as good as hers, but then again the student rarely passes the teacher.

1 Whole Chicken, rinsed and rubbed with lemon

Red Onion, thinly sliced

Green Onion, thinly sliced

Rice Vinegar

Limes

Cilantro

Rau Ram

Roasted Peanuts

Nuoc Cham

In a large pot of boiling water, add ginger, peppercorns, and garlic with the chicken.  Poach for about 30 minutes until cooked through.  While the chicken is cooking, toss the onions with a small amount of rice wine vinegar.  Remove the chicken and let it cool.  Strain the liquids and chill quickly.  Save this for a nice light chicken stock.

When the chicken has cooled, remove the skin and shred.  Then continue shredding the meat.  When all the meat has been picked, toss some of it with the onions and skin.  Add some herbs and nuoc cham.  Continue the process until you have a nice salad.  Garnish with peanuts, lime juice and more nuoc cham.

  

While eating or cooking, we love music.  Sometimes it appears that our life revolves around music and concerts.  We scan the national tours hoping to find the next groups to visit New Orleans, also looking forward to the upcoming festivals trying to relive our youth through music!  

We enjoy debating on which song or band rules certain genres or decades.  Power ballads are a favorite topic, and the discussion never ends.  So in honor of the John Cusack movie High Fidelity, I will make a list of my top five power ballads in order of greatness.  An will disagree, but that will only lead to a grand discussion about Sebastian Bach's greatness or the vocal ability of Klaus Meine!

Top Five Power Ballad's

1) Home Sweet Home- Motley Crue

2) I Remember You- Skid Row

3) Still Loving You- The Scorpions

4) November Rain- Guns N Roses

5) Don't Know What You Got Til Its Gone- Cinderella

Beef, Green Peppercorns

From north to south, the cuisine of Vietnam changes drastically.  The north traditionally embraces the older style of simplicity and plentiful herbs.  Absent from many dishes would be the spicy Thai chili and sugar.  However, traveling south would bring change and influence from bordering countries.  In the Hanoi region, beef would be prepared in this manner but a couple of ingredients might be removed. Today we will include all of the outside influences and embrace change!  Thai chili, a good amount of green peppercorns, and the sweet and salty marinade help create a tangy style of beef which beautifully represents the Vietnamese cuisine that has been shaped throughout the past century.  France, China, Thailand, and Vietnam all contribute to this version of Steak au Poivre.  

Bo Xao Tieu Xanh- Garlic and Green Peppercorn Beef

1 ½ lb. sirloin cubed

Marinade

1 tbsp water

3 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp sugar

1 tbsp oil

4 garlic cloves crushed
1 Thai chili

1 red onion diced

2 tbsp green peppercorns

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 cup green onions sliced

salt

black pepper
cilantro

rice

Mix the ingredients for the marinade and toss with the beef.  Allow this to rest for about an hour.  In a wok or large saute pan, heat up the oil until it shimmers.  Sear beef until it is browned on all sides and still rare.  Remove the beef from the pan and add the garlic, chili, and onions.  Caramelize very well and return the beef to the pan.  Mix well and add peppercorns.  Cooking quickly, toss to coat the meat and swirl in the butter.  When the butter is fully incorporated add the green onions, turn off heat, and check for salt and pepper.  Serve with rice and cilantro leaves.
  

Custom Plates by Gerald Haessig

In the mid-80s, one of my favorite bands was the Psychedelic Furs.  An influential band of the early British post-punk movement, the Furs were also featured in two hit films of the 80s- Valley Girl (which starred Nicolas Cage) and Pretty In Pink (starring Molly Ringwald).  Valley Girl used the track "Love My Way", and the band contributed the title song to Pretty In Pink (although the song was much older than the movie).  So today I have been jamming to some of those classic tunes including the previously mentioned and hits such as "President Gas", "Forever Now", "Ghost In You", and "Heaven."  

My tasty beverage was a wonderful Dark and Stormy!  I used Spiced Cruzan Rum, Reed's Ginger Beer and fresh lime juice.  Fantastic, though I am not sure if it paired well with the beef, it tasted great and packs a wallop!