Stuffed Deboned Chicken Roll - Gà Cuộn Nướng

The rain and wind have been intense in the past few days. My neighbor's beautiful blossoming plum was uprooted, our American flag torn apart, and my lounge chairs tossed into the swimming pool. The only thing soothing coming from outside is the melody flowing from my wind chime swaying in front of the kitchen bay window. It seems to calm the storm inside and out.

But it's also days like these that intensify your senses - especially my olfactory- to the aroma emanating from a stuffed deboned whole chicken roll. Inside my kitchen, I was rolling up a deboned whole chicken with the combination of ground turkey, wild mushrooms, vermicelli noodle, and a special Cambodian ingredient called kroeung which consists of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, turmeric, and galangal root. This amazing stuffing is packed with fragrant aroma and earthy flavor which can be used to stuff deboned whole chicken or deboned chicken wings.

*

RECIPE: Stuffed Deboned Chicken Roll

printable recipe

*

Ingredients

1 whole chicken 

1 lb ground chicken, or ground turkey, or ground pork

1 handful dried or fresh mushrooms of your choice

2 buns vermicelli noodle

1/2 while onion, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder

extra oyster sauce, for later used

*

for Kroeung (Spice Paste)

1 stalk lemongrass, minced

a piece of fresh turmeric, about an inch, peeled, thinly sliced or

about a teaspoon of turmeric powder

a piece of galangal, about an inch, peeled,  thinly sliced

about 3 double kaffir leaves, minced

4 cloves of garlic

1-2 Thai red chili peppers, optional

*

for Sweet Garlic Sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup fish sauce
1/8 cup water 
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
1/2  teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 Thai red chili pepper, minced
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 teaspoons of water

*

DIRECTIONS

Deboning Chicken 

The technique to deboning chicken is not difficult at all, but it does require some patience and a sharp knife. Here is the link of a YouTube video show you how to debone it. After the chicken is deboned, keep it in the fridge while preparing the remaining ingredients.

*

Preparing Spice Paste 

It's faster to pound the ingredients into paste by cutting them into small pieces or thin slices. Using the pestle and mortar, pound and grind lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, garlic, red chili pepper, and fresh turmeric, if used, with a circular motion to release the juices and oils.

I prefer to use the traditional way with a pestle and mortar to draw out the natural oils and flavors of the ingredients, but you can also use a blender or food processor.  Add a teaspoon of water to help the blender process the ingredients into a fine thick paste.

*

Preparing Stuffing

Ground Meat - I used ground turkey in my stuffed chicken roll just because that was what I had in my fridge but you can use either ground pork, or ground chicken.

Vermicelli Noodle- soak in water until soft, cut into an inch pieces.

Dried Mushrooms - I used a dried mix of mushrooms.  If you use dried mushrooms, soak in water until soft, slice thinly. 

To make the stuffing, mix together the meat, spice paste, noodle, mushrooms, onion, and the remaining spices except the extra oyster sauce, mixing well. You can taste test it by cooking a teaspoon of the stuffing in the microwave. Adjust the ingredients to your liking.

*

Stuffing the Deboned Chicken

*

Oyster Sauce - mix two tablespoons of oyster sauce with a table of olive oil. Set aside.

Take the chicken from the fridge. Lay it flat on a large chopping board, skin side down. Place the stuffing onto the chicken.

Bring one side of the chicken up and over the stuffing. Bring the other side up and over the first side and form a roll with your hands. You might need to tuck different parts and pieces in, to make a nice roll.
Cut about 6 pieces of twine about 14 inches long. Slide these under the chicken spaced evenly and tie them around the chicken snug.

Brush the skin of the chicken roll with oyster sauce mixture.

*

Roasting Chicken Roll

Place chicken roll onto the roasting rack and roast in a preheated at 375 degree F oven for an hour and 20 minutes, brushing occasionally with sauce. After half way of roasting, flip the chicken roll over so it can be browned evenly.

Remove from the oven and let it cool down for about 10 minutes before slicing.

*

Making Sweet Garlic Sauce

 

In a small pan, combine all the sauce ingredients except the cornstarch mixture, and bring it to boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. Add cornstarch mixture. Stir to incorporate. Remove from heat and taste test. It should be sweet, sour, spicy, and salty notes. Pour sauce in a small bowl and serve as a dipping sauce.

*

Presentation

Slice chicken roll and serve with dipping sauce on the side.  

*
Eat well.  Stay healthy.

Pickled Lemon Chicken and King Oyster Mushroom Soup (Súp Gà Chanh Muối Nấm Bào Ngư)

Despite the sweltering summer heat, I enjoy eating hot soup anytime of the day. Peculiar isn't it? Yet, it's so comforting to be able to enjoy - slurp to be exact - a nice bowl of well balanced soup, preferably one with a zesty hit of citrus.

One of my favorite soups is the pickled lemon chicken and king oyster mushroom soup. I preserve the lemons every year around the winter season. It's when I harvest them from my friend's lemon tree and preserve them in salt and water to make salty lemonade and use them in cooking such as in this chicken soup. The downsize is there's not enough heat from the sun during winter to help with picking the lemon and there is chance of getting mold/fungus growing in the brine. I usually just let them sit at room temperature near by the stove. It takes a long time, at least 2 months, for the pickle lemon peels to soften, and for the flavors to fully mature. When Spring comes and the sun is out, I let them bake in the sun to hasten the process. Click here for preserved lemons recipe.

What I enjoy most about this chicken soup is the zestiness of the broth.  The roasted rice and the preserved lemon in this soup give it a nutty and sharp citrus kick. Cooking the king oyster mushroom in this soup also brings out a savory umami flavor that goes well with the velvety, meaty texture of the mushroom that reminds me of abalone. And lastly, the distinct earthy aroma of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and garlic make this a hearty, comforting,  yet light and nourishing soup.

*

RECIPE: Pickled Lemon Chicken and King Oyster Mushroom Soup

Printable Recipe

*

*

Ingredients

1 whole free range chicken, available at Asian market

about 3-4 king oyster mushrooms, sliced

1 whole garlic, peeled

1/2 - 3/4 cup rice

2 lemongrass stalks, slightly smashed, cut into 4 inch pieces

5-8 kaffir lime leaves, optional

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1-2 preserved lemons, optional 

1 bunch culantro leaves, optional, roughly chopped

a bunch of green onion, finely chopped

*

Directions

*

Roasting Rice

I always toast my rice first when cooking porridge or any kinds of soup to give it a nutty flavor that complements the soup perfectly. This process takes only a few minutes and it will add an extra layer of depth to the  dish. Wash the rice for a few times until water is clear.  Drain well. Place rice in a skillet over low heat and stir the rice in the skillet constantly for about 10 minutes until you start to smell the nutty heat and the rice start to turn golden brown. Remove the rice from the heat.

*

Cooking Chicken

I am obsessed with lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, therefore, kaffir lime tree and lemongrass are must-haves in my vegetable garden.  If lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves are not available for you, you can substitute them for a few slices of ginger root.

For this soup, I like to use free range chicken from an Asian supermarket. It is smaller and less meaty than chicken from American supermarket but when cooked, it produces an intense chicken stock with a beautiful yellow hue.  The chicken skin becomes yellow and looks amazing. 

Rinse the chicken well under cold running water. In a large pot, about 8 quarts, add chicken, roasted rice, mushroom, garlic, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and enough water to cover it at least by 2 inches and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low to maintain a simmer and cook for about 45 minutes to extract as much flavor as possible from the bone and meat so all the goodness goes into the broth, and the rice grains expand and become soft. Add sugar, salt, and fish sauce. Use a fork to break the chicken apart into small pieces. 

At this point, smash a preserved lemon one at a time and add to the chicken pot. Give it a taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking. Add more preserved lemon if you want a bit more punch. Eliminate preserved lemon if you prefer. The flavor won't be the same but broth is still hearty and delicious. You can substitute fresh lime juice and serving it on the side. Cook the chicken soup for another 10 minutes.

*

Presentation

Ladle chicken soup into a serving bowl. Garnish with green onion, and culantro leaves. Serve with lime or lemon wedges on a side if you don't use preserved lemon in the dish. I like to add a few slices of fresh red chili pepper to my bowl as hot, fragrant and sour is how I like.

*

Eat well. Stay healthy.

Gà Hấp Muối Hột (Whole Chicken Dry Steamed on a bed of Sea Salt)

Happy New Year! 

Wow...it's been over a month since my last post. Time sure does fly especially when the holidays are around. There are a million things to do but so little time. When winter comes, the icky cold is going around. I tend to catch it easily and it would drag on for 3-4 weeks. I've been wanting to share with you a few new recipes that I cooked for my family recently. My mind screamed, "Blog it," but my body was too tired to listen. 

Besides the cold, we've been drenched by the Pineapple Express particularly here in northern California. Can you believe this short storm added over 33 billion gallons to Lake Tahoe?  I am sitting on my couch looking out the window and watching the pouring rain. It's quite relaxing, but I had to muster some courage to put together this post.

So, here is the Whole Free-Range Chicken Dry Steamed on a bed of Sea Salt and Earthy Herbs. My husband would do anything to eat this steamed chicken, so he didn't mind weathering the storm and venturing out to our garden to gather the lemongrass and pick the kaffir lime leaves for me to prepare the chicken. After her first bite, my little one expressed how she didn't like it only to ask for more moments later. The older girl didn't bother to try because one of our chicken just passed away due to the bitter cold. 

This dry steamed chicken recipe would make a wonderful dish for the up coming Luna New Year. It's simple, quick, and super easy to prepare. And by dry steamed I mean there is no liquid added. As it heats up in the clay pot, the natural moisture from the chicken and herbs is sufficient to not only cook the chicken but keep it tender and moist. Once done, the chicken reveals a beautiful super moist and golden chicken. The sea salt bed locks in the moisture and flavor making it juicy and tasty. In addition, it has a wonderful aroma imparted by the kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass, and ginger. It tastes even better with the spicy ginger dipping fish sauce.

*

RECIPE: Whole Chicken Dry Steamed on a bed of Sea Salt

printable recipe

*

*

Ingredients

1 whole free-range chicken, about 2.5 pounds, about $11-$13 each, available at Asian supermarkets

1 pound coarse sea salt, available at Asian markets in a 2 pound bag

3-4 lemongrass stalks 

a handful of kaffir lime leaves or lime leaves or lemon leaves

1 large piece ginger root

*

for Spicy Ginger Dipping Fish Sauce

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice

1-2 cloves garlic 

1-2 red chili pepper

about 1-inch ginger root, peeled

a few prigs of cilantro, finely cut, optional

some Asian basil leaves, finely cut, optional

*

Equipment 

1 clay pot to fit a whole chicken, available at most Asian markets, cost about $17
6.5" diameter opening

about 29.5" circumference of widest part of the clay pot

7" tall

*

Directions

*

Preparing Ingredients

Remove and discard innards such as gizzards, etc, from inside the chicken, if included, and rinse the chicken inside and out, draining thoroughly.
Cut lemongrass stalks into 2-3 segments, long enough to fit in the clay pot. Bruise the lemongrass stalks with a heavy knife or a meat tenderizer hammer to release the essential oils from the lemongrass which will then add more flavor to the chicken.  If your lemongrass stalks have leaves, keep the leaves for later used.
Cut ginger roots into 1/4 inch thick slices.
Wash lime or lemon leaves, and set aside.

*

Steaming Chicken

In a clay pot, pour in sea salt and make about 1/4 inch thick layer at the bottom. 

Arrange lemongrass, lime or lemon leaves, ginger slices on top of a bed of sea salt. 

Tuck the chicken feet inside the chicken to keep them in place. Place the chicken on top of the herbs. If you have the lemongrass leaves, use them to cover the chicken to seals in moisture and flavor and infuses the contents with a subtle, grassy aroma. Banana leaves would also work.

Cover with a lid and cook clay pot at medium-high heat for no more than 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it rest for about 5-10 minutes. 

*

Preparing Spicy Ginger Dipping Fish Sauce

While the chicken is cooking, place chili pepper, garlic, and ginger in a mortar and pound them into paste to release their fresh flavors. Add sugar, fish sauce, lemon juice, chili garlic sauce if used instead of fresh chili pepper. Mix all the ingredients well. Toss in some cilantro and basil leaves. It should have a subtle balance of sour, sweet, salty and spicy.

*

Presentation

Transfer the steamed chicken to a serving plate and serve with some herbs such as cilantro, Vietnamese coriander (rau răm), and of course the spicy ginger dipping fish sauce. 

You can also chop it up and pour the sauce over before serving. However, we are fond of tearing the whole chicken apart and eating it with our bare hands.  

*

Eat well. Stay healthy.