A taste of Vietnam

The other day, just as I was about to cook up some Teriyaki chicken, I thought of using the chicken thigh fillets to try out a dish off my new, neat cookbook. After minutes of browsing, I came across a Vietnamese dish that ticked all the ingredients I have in the pantry (well, except for the green chili and mint). It was such a hit, a definite must-share:

Stir-fried Chicken with Lemon Grass, Ginger and Chili

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Total cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tbsps oil
2 medium brown onions, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5-cm (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, finely grated
3 stems lemon grass (white part only), very finely sliced
2 tsps chopped green chili
500g (1 lb) chicken thigh fillets, thinly sliced
2 tsps sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and Vietnamese mint, to garnish

Procedure:

1. Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan or wok, add the onion, garlic, ginger, lemon grass and chili, and stir for 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat until the mixture is lightly golden. Take care not to burn the mixture or it will become bitter.
2. Increase heat to high; when the pan is very hot, add the chicken and toss well. Sprinkle the sugar over the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, tossing regularly until the chicken is just cooked.
3. Add the fish sauce, cook for another 2 minutes and serve immediately, garnished with the coriander and mint.

Happy cooking!