serves
4
prep
30 minutes
cook
10 minutes
difficulty
Mid
serves
4
people
preparation
30
minutes
cooking
10
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts, skin off
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp crispies (see below)
- lime wedges, to serve
Crispies
- 300 g French shallots
- 250 ml (1 cup) vegetable oil
- 30 g garlic, peeled
Chicken marinade
- 30 g ginger, smashed with the flat of a cleaver
- 40 g lemongrass, finely chopped and bruised in a mortar and pestle
- 2 tsp garlic, smashed and bruised in a mortar and pestle
- 50 ml oil
- 2 tbsp spring onion (scallion), chopped and bruised in a mortar and pestle
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 4 tsp light soy sauce
- ¼ tsp caster sugar
- ¼ tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Salad
- 2 large handfuls Chinese cabbage (wombok), sliced
- 250 g bean sprouts
- 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
- handful of fresh mint
- handful of fresh coriander
- handful of fresh Vietnamese mint
- 2 long red chillies, seeds removed, finely sliced
Nuoc cham
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 bird’s eye chillies
- 140 ml fish sauce
- 160 ml fresh lime juice
- 120 ml sugar syrup
- 4 tsp rice vinegar
Marinating time 2 hours or overnight, if time permits
Instructions
To make the crispies, slice the shallots as finely and evenly as you can. Add the oil and shallot to a small pot and turn to medium heat. Ready a strainer set over another pot to catch the hot oil as you pour. Stir the shallot from time to time to prevent sticking. Don’t be tempted to cook them too quickly or the outside will burn before the insides have a chance to give up their moisture. Cook until the shallot starts to turn light brown. Now crack up the heat and watch the pot like a hawk. Keep stirring until the bubbling starts to subside and the shallot has turned a light golden colour. Carefully strain the shallot. Shake dry and drain on paper towel.
Repeat with the garlic, slicing as finely as you can. The garlic will take a lot less time. Again do it slowly.
Once completely cool mix together and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
To make the marinade, mix the ginger, lemongrass and garlic together. Heat the oil in a wok until it starts to smoke and add the marinade mix. Turn off heat and stir. Cool completely and add remaining marinade ingredients.
Use a long sharp knife to cut each chicken breast into three thin escalopes.
Use a meat mallet to gently thin out any thicker parts of the chicken.
Massage the marinade into the chicken and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours or up to a day in advance.
To make the salad, mix all the salad ingredients together.
Preheat a grill to high. Grill the chicken pieces for up to 2 minutes on each side (if the grill is hot enough), until golden on both sides. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the nuoc cham, pulp the garlic and chilli in a mortar and pestle. Add everything else and stir to combine.
Chop the chicken into chopstick-friendly pieces. Add the chicken to the salad.
Dress with the nuoc cham. Arrange on a plate and top with the sesame seeds and crispies.
Recipe and image from China Doll by Frank Shek (, $49.99, hbk). Read our review and find more recipes from the book .
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
