For me the highlights of travelling are the food and the photo opportunities! And there is something very exciting about learning to cook local food in a local kitchen using traditional ingredients. Here's one of my favourite Vietnamese recipes. Tried and tested! Serves 4, as a side dish
Vietnamese recipe for lemongrass & chilli chicken
What you need
Chicken thigh fillets - 500 g
Lemongrass - 2 stalks, chopped fine
Thai chilli - 1 Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 2 large cloves
White onion - 1/2 large onion sliced fine
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Fish sauce - 2 tbsp
Oil
Coriander
What you do
Clean the chicken and remove the fat. Cut into small pieces
Mince the ginger, garlic and chilli together
Place the mixture in a large bowl and add sliced onion, chopped lemongrass, turmeric and fish sauce. Mix.
Marinate the chicken, cover, and place in the fridge for an hour (at least)
When you're ready to cook the chicken, add enough oil to a large frying pan, to fully cover the base.
Sprinkle the sugar in the pan, and swirl. Wait for it to dissolve
When you can no longer see the sugar granules, add the marinated chicken, making sure each piece is separate and touches the base of the pan
Allow the chicken to caramelise. Then toss to fry the other side
When the chicken is fully cooked, spoon onto a serving dish and garnish with chopped coriander
Serve hot with fried rice and a main dish (I made a caramelized fish stir fry I learned in class, and which I adored!)