Gỏi gà (or chicken slaw) – what can I say? I’ve had a fair share of chicken slaw in my life. It’s a typical dish in a Vietnamese menu for death anniversaries, which, on many occasions, are feasts that call for the slaughtering of chickens to feed a whole village (maybe half, since our family isn’t the most popular kind). Their poaching liquid becomes the stock for congee and their meat is dressed in a tangy vinaigrette with shredded cabbage and rau răm (Vietnamese coriander) as a side salad.
Last week, I had gỏi gà twice. No death anniversary celebrated, but ironically, my husband’s birthday. It’s his favorite dish, and if given the choice, he can eat it day-in, day-out, for the rest of his life. That’s his special ability. Unfortunately, I’m a normal person, so my diet varies, and often, it consists of more than one item for an entire week.
Despite its name, chicken slaw’s most important ingredient, to me, is the Vietnamese coriander/mint (which is a weird translation since these two are different). Its pungent peppery scent brings freshness and robustness to an otherwise mild salad. Used in the right amount, it punctuates the chicken’s mellow flesh and tames the cabbage’s bitterness, without overpowering the flavor. Chicken and cabbage do not make Vietnamese gỏi gà, but rau răm does. I’ve tried making the dish without the herb and it fell flat, making me feel like wasting on good ingredients. I’ve also gained a deep appreciation for the use of herbs in Vietnamese cooking, which relies on fewer aromatics than other cuisines elsewhere.
If you get happen to come across rau răm, grab them (I get them from groceries stores in Toronto’s Chinatown). After a good wash, drain and pat them dry with paper towel before storing them in a sealed container in the freezer. Defrost when you use them.
Traditionally, this salad uses poached chicken, but if you don’t feel like doing that, rotisserie chicken works too. Make sure that the meat is not seasoned aggressively with any bold marinades, as it can make the dish overly salted and interfere with the overall flavor.
Vietnamese Chicken Slaw (Gỏi Gà)
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 5 tbsp white vinegar
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp lime juice or more, to taste
- 1 tbsp water
For the salad
- 1 ½ cups shredded red cabbage
- 2 cups shredded green cabbage
- 400 g poached chicken meat shredded
- ⅓ cup Vietnamese coriander thinly sliced
- ¼ cup cilantro roughly chopped
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl, make sure that the sugar dissolves.
- Combine the cabbage and chicken in a large mixing bowl. Add the dressing by the spoonful and toss thoroughly.
- Add the herbs when serving. Lightly toss again.
