Mien Ga
I’m starting by sharing a recipe for a dish that I’ve already been making for about a year now. It’s also one of the only Vietnamese dishes I reliably make and that I know my family will enjoy: Mien Ga or chicken noodle soup that is way simpler than the more popular Pho Ga.
The motivation for learning this dish started almost exactly 2 years ago, after we had Amelia. In those early fall months during my recovery, a warm bowl of soup with noodles was what I craved most so my mom made a pot of Mien Ga for me almost every week. Eventually, she showed me how to make it, and I was extremely pleased that it was so straight forward. This dish is really hard to mess up once you know what the steps are!
This is a great weeknight meal for us. From start to finish, I can make it in about 35 minutes. With little ones running around, I sometimes do some of the prep work ahead of time so I can throw it all together right before we eat. It also doesn’t require that many ingredients. We keep all of the dried ingredients in our pantry and almost always have green onions stocked so I only need to pick up chicken and fresh shiitake mushrooms (my addition to my mom’s original recipe). For a long time, I avoided the Rau Ram (Vietnamese Coriander) because I didn’t know what it was and it turns out they don’t sell it at American grocery stores anyway. However, once I looked it up (I know, googling is so hard), I found it readily stocked at our local Ranch 99. I admit if I’m in a hurry, I still leave it out but it really does make this dish more than ordinary.
Mien Ga
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, excess fat trimmed
- 4 tbsp fish sauce plus more to taste
- 1/2 cup dried sliced cloud ear mushrooms (fungus)
- 6-8 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms about 8 medium size mushrooms
- 4 bulbs green onions
- 3 tbsp chopped Vietnamese Coriander/'Rau Ram' (garnish) I've only ever found this at an Asian grocery. It can be left out in a pinch but really enhances flavor.
- 1 large chicken broth My mom swears by Swanson. Using an organic brand like Pacific Foods, which I prefer, requires additional seasoning so adjust accordingly.
- 3 sections glass noodles
- fried shallots (garnish) fried shallots make everything taste better and especially in this simple dish. I usually get this from my aunt who makes panfuls at home, but when I'm out, I've ordered from Amazon.
Instructions
- Boil chicken in ~5 cups water (my mom's specific instruction was enough water to cover the chicken x 2) and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce until just underdone, about 3-5 minutes once water boils. Note: chicken does not need to be fully cooked, only shreddable. While chicken is cooking, skim away bits that float at the surface. Then remove chicken to cool for shredding and save broth.
- While water is boiling, submerge dried mushroom in water. Mushrooms will soften in about 5-10 minutes.
- While chicken cools slightly, chop vegetables:– Rough chop dark green part of 2 bulbs green onions for stir fry – Rough chop dark and light green parts of other 2 green onion bulbs along with Vietnamese coriander, mixing and saving for garnish– Thinly slice mushrooms– Give now softened dried mushrooms a few chops
- Shred chicken
- Add shredded chicken to pan with 2 spoonfuls of broth (enough to keep moist), mushrooms, black pepper, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, green onions. Cook about 7 minutes or until mushrooms fully cooked. Set aside.
- Add chicken broth to reserved chicken cooking liquid. Season with pepper and additional fish sauce (I usually add another 1-1.5 tablespoons).
- Cook noodles directly in broth until translucent (3-4 minutes) just before serving. Layer bowls: pull out noodles first, chicken/mushroom, broth, Vietnamese coriander/green onion mix, fried shallot.