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Preparation
20 minutes
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Cooking
1 hour 30 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Nha Trang chicken rice is a chicken dish quite famous when mentioning Nha Trang specialties. So today, TasteVN will guide you on how to cook delicious chicken rice at home with authentic flavor and easy implementation without going far to enjoy. Let’s get cooking!
Ingredients for Nha Trang Chicken Rice For 4 people
Chicken thighs 2 pieces Rice 2 cups (type of rice bowl) Chicken egg 1 piece Onion 1 bulb Carrot 1 piece Ginger 1 piece Ginger a little (minced) Shallots 3 bulbs Garlic 3 bulbs Chili 1 piece Green onions/coriander a little Vietnamese balm/mint/ Vietnamese perilla a little Chicken fat a little Onion powder 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder 1 teaspoon White wine 2 teaspoons Vinegar 1 teaspoon Calamansi juice 2 tablespoons Cooking oil 200 ml Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Common spices a little (salt/sugar/seasoning powder)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh chicken thighs
- Good chicken meat usually has thin skin, feels smooth to the touch, and has a characteristic golden color. The inside meat will have a natural pink-red color, not too light or too dark.
- Avoid buying parts of meat that have bruises or blood clots.
- For frozen chicken sold in supermarkets, check for reputable sources and expiration dates to ensure quality.
How to choose fresh carrots
- Choose carrots that are dark orange in color, of moderate size, with a smooth skin, not bruised, firm to the touch, and slightly hard.
- Avoid choosing very large carrots as they are often old, which makes them very hard, losing their sweetness and characteristic aroma.
Tools needed
Rice cooker, pan, knife, bowl, fork,…
How to Prepare Nha Trang Chicken Rice
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Prepare and Marinate the Chicken
After purchasing the chicken, use salt to rub it, then rinse with water and let it drain.
For the marinade sauce, put 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning powder, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 2 teaspoons of white wine, and a little chopped ginger into a bowl, and stir well until the ingredients dissolve completely.
Next, use a meat injector or a fork to poke holes evenly in the chicken so that the marinade penetrates deeper.
Then, pour the sauce over and rub it all over the chicken thighs, marinating for about 20 minutes.
How to Prepare and Eliminate the Smell of Chicken Meat- To eliminate the smell of chicken, you can use a mixture of vinegar and salt to rub all over the chicken or soak it directly for 3-5 minutes and then rinse with water.
- Alternatively, you can use lemon juice mixed with salt to rub on the chicken, then rinse with clean water.
See details: Effective Ways to Eliminate the Smell of Chicken Meat
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Prepare other ingredients
Wash the rice thoroughly with 2 changes of water, then drain.
Shallots are peeled, washed, and then sliced thinly. Garlic is peeled, washed, and minced.
The onion should also be peeled, washed, and cut into wedges. Carrots are peeled and then grated.
Ginger is peeled, washed, half of the piece is cut into strips, and the rest is sliced thinly.
Green onions and coriander are trimmed of roots, washed, and then chopped finely. Vietnamese balm, mint, and water spinach are picked for leaves, washed, and then chopped finely.
How to cut onions without crying- To cut onions without crying, you can cut them in a well-ventilated area like under an exhaust fan or near a window, as the onion fumes will be blown away from your eyes.
- Alternatively, you can chill the onions in the freezer refrigerator for 10 – 15 minutes before cutting.
- Additionally, soaking the onions in water before cutting will prevent crying.
See details: Grab 10 tips for cutting onions without crying
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Stir-fry the rice
Place a pan on the stove, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil along with a bit of chicken fat and shallots.
Then add the rice and stir-fry over medium heat until the rice is dry, then turn off the heat.
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Cook the rice and chicken
Add the stir-fried rice to the rice cooker along with a bit of shredded ginger.
To give the rice a nice yellow color, add 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder diluted with water into the rice cooker and mix well. Then pour in water and adjust the water level to about 1/2 finger’s length above the surface of the rice.
Next, add the chicken to the pot to cook with the rice. Add a few slices of ginger and onion on top of the chicken thighs.
Finally, close the lid, plug it in, and press the cook button until the rice is done.
Tip: If you don’t want to cook the chicken with the rice, you can boil the chicken instead. -
Mix vegetables and prepare fish sauce
Prepare a bowl, add onion with 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vinegar, mix well so the onion absorbs the seasoning.
Then, add into the bowl the Vietnamese coriander, mint, water spinach, and carrot, mix well and place it in the refrigerator.
For the fish sauce, add 2 tablespoons of calamansi juice, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of water, and a little minced garlic and chili into a bowl. Stir well to dissolve all the seasonings.
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Fried shallots and green onion oil
Put a pan on the stove, add cooking oil, heat it up and then add the shallots, stir evenly and fry until golden, then remove to a bowl.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the bowl of green onions, pour the oil that has fried the shallots into it to make green onion oil.
Tips for crispy fried shallotsBefore frying the shallots, sprinkle a little salt over them, mix well and let sit for a few minutes, then drain the water. Next, spread the shallots out on a clean tray and sun-dry until slightly wilted.
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Making egg butter sauce
Separate the egg yolks into a bowl, use a fork to whisk until the yolks lighten in color.
Next, drizzle a little cooking oil into the egg yolks, whisk until they are well combined.
Repeat the above steps several times until the eggs become fluffy and thick.
Note:- You should only whisk in one direction and whisk evenly.
- Before adding more oil, make sure the oil has completely blended into the eggs.
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Shredding chicken
After the chicken is cooked, let it cool slightly before shredding it into bite-sized pieces.
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Final product
Place rice in a bowl, press it down lightly, and then invert it onto the center of the plate. Arrange the chicken and mixed vegetables around the rice, then drizzle the butter egg sauce over the plate. Add fried onions and scallion oil on top of the rice to have an attractive plate of chicken rice.
Nha Trang chicken rice is fragrant, with tender and sweet chicken, crispy mixed vegetables with a slight pungent flavor from onions, and a bit of the creamy taste of butter egg sauce blended with sweet and sour fish sauce, making it incredibly appealing.
With the recipe shared by TasteVN, you are sure to succeed and can enjoy this authentic Nha Trang chicken rice dish without having to go far.
With the detailed guide above, TasteVN hopes you can successfully make the delicious and authentic Nha Trang chicken rice!
*Refer to the recipe and images from the YouTube channel Bếp Độc Thân