Mi Quang ga is hardest at the broth, which is ladled shallow rather than filling the bowl the way pho or bun does. It has to be seasoned more strongly than an ordinary broth for the noodles to take it up.
The chicken cooks in that broth, and the dish is right when the meat is tender and the liquid still clear. The cu nen is only bruised or pounded, never blitzed smooth. Blitzed fine, it burns the moment it hits the oil. Fried in peanut oil, it brings the smell of central Vietnam up from the very first step.
This batch weighs about 3.7kg, at roughly 134 calories per 100g.
Method
Rinse 50g cu nen and bruise or pound it, without blitzing it smooth, so it does not burn in the oil.
Slice the shallot, cut the ginger into threads, bruise the bird's eye chilies, squeeze the lime for juice, and peel the garlic.
Wash the herbs and greens, shave the banana blossom finely, and soak it in ice water with lime juice.
Boil the 30 quail eggs and peel them.
Rinse the chicken with salt and chop into bite sized pieces.
Marinate the chicken with 25g cu nen, the ginger, shallot, chili, 10g fish sauce, 2 tablespoons annatto oil, 5g MSG, 1g black pepper, 10g seasoning powder and 2 teaspoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend. Leave for 30 minutes.
Set a pan with 2 tablespoons peanut oil and fry the remaining cu nen until golden and fragrant.
Add the marinated chicken and stir until it firms up and smells good.
Pour in 1 to 1.5 liters of water.
Once it has boiled for 30 minutes, season with 5g salt and 5g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, for a total cooking time of about 40 minutes over low heat.
Make the dipping sauce: pound 15g garlic and 5g bird's eye chili with 1/3 teaspoon MSG and 1 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, add the fish sauce, and finish with 1 teaspoon lime juice.
Blanch the 500g noodles in water at 70C, put them in bowls, ladle over a little broth, arrange the chicken and quail eggs, and scatter over 10g roasted peanuts.
To serve, add the fresh greens, spoon over a little dipping sauce, and break the toasted rice crackers in to toss through.
Tips
Season the broth more strongly than an ordinary one, since mi Quang is ladled shallow.
Use peanut oil to bring out the character of central Vietnam.
Pound the cu nen only lightly, as blitzing it smooth means it burns in the hot oil.
Soak the shaved banana blossom in ice water with lime to keep it white and crisp.
Add the quail eggs in the last ten minutes, as a long soak in the broth dries the yolks.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.