This one is for the Old One with the beautiful Vietnamese wife ...

... you know who I mean. It is from Máeráed's mother who want some advice with Mi quang chicken.


It is from Mi quang is a specialty of Tam Ky province, Mickey's birthplace. Traditionally it's a pork/shrimp dish but we had mi quang chicken when we visited, which is apparently gaining in popularity.

I wanted to make the dish for little Mr Miggs, especially after I found the special bright yellow noodles at an Asian Market in Charlotte a few weeks ago. The problem is I couldn't find a recipe for the chicken dish anywhere, and only one or two versions of the pork recipe that didn't agree on many details. It would help, too, if I remembered the meal better and knew what the broth should taste like! But I gave it a shot, and here's what I came up with:

Broth
1.5-2 lb chicken bones (this is a great use for a leftover carcass)
4 medium or large shrimp
1 medium onion
4" chunk of ginger
salt
2 tsp sugar
3 TAB fish sauce

Chicken
3 TAB annato seeds
1/8 C canola oil
1/2 lb boneless chicken, sliced for stir-fry
1/2 lb peeled shrimp
pepper to taste

Noodles
2 packages of Mi Quang rice noodles

Garnishes
bean sprouts
mint leaves
lime wedges
cilantro
scallions
roasted peanuts, coarsely crushed
banana blossom (optional)
Black sesame rice crackers (Banh Da--broken into bite-sized pieces)

These first steps are lifted just about wholesale from Andrea Nguyen's recipe for chicken pho:
1. Place the onions and ginger directly on the cooking grate of a medium-hot charcoal or gas grill (as pictured, to the right) or a gas stove with a medium flame, or on a medium-hot burner of an electric stove. Let the skin burn (if you’re working indoors, turn on the exhaust fan and open a window), using tongs to rotate onion and ginger occasionally and to grab and discard any flyaway onion skin.

After 15 minutes, the onions and ginger will have softened slightly and become sweetly fragrant. There may even be some bubbling. You do not have to blacken the entire surface. When amply charred, remove from the heat and let cool.

2. Rinse the cooled onions under warm running water, rubbing off the charred skin. Trim off and discard the blackened root and stem ends. Use a vegetable peeler, paring knife, or the edge of a teaspoon to remove the ginger skin. Hold it under warm water to wash off any blackened bits. Halve the ginger lengthwise and bruise lightly with the broad side of a cleaver or chef’s knife. Set the onions and ginger aside.

3. Remove and discard any loose pieces of fat from the chicken parts. Wielding a heavy cleaver designed for chopping bones, whack the bones to break them partway or all the way through, making the cuts at 1- to 2-inch intervals, depending on the size of the part. This exposes the marrow, which enriches the broth.

4. To achieve a clear broth, you must first parboil and rinse the chicken parts. Put them in a stockpot (about 12-quart capacity) and add cold water just to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes to release the impurities. Dump the chicken parts and water into the sink (make sure it is clean), and then rinse the parts with water to wash off any clinging residue. Quickly scrub the stockpot clean and return the chicken parts to the pot.

5. Pour in the water so that all the chicken is covered with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Use a ladle or large, shallow spoon to skim off any scum that rises to the top. Add the onions, ginger, salt, fish sauce, sugar, and cook, uncovered, for 1.5 hours, adjusting the heat if needed to maintain a gentle simmer.

The rest is me combining a few recipes I found online and some hints from an email exchange I had with Andrea Nguyen (who was kind enough to return my messages!):

Heat 1/8 cup of canola oil in large wok and add annato seeds. As the temperature rises, the red color will seep out of the annato seeds. Strain and discard seeds. Saute garlic, shallots, fish sauce and chicken in the annato oil. Add shrimp and stir-fry until chicken and shrimp are cooked through.

Noodles:
Soak noodles in hot water for about 20 minutes. Drain.
Add some sliced scallions to the simmering broth.

Use a vertical ladle to dip one serving of noodles in the hot broth for 10-20 seconds. When they wilt, put the noddles in a bowl and top with chicken and shrimp. Repeat for each diner. Add a small amount (1/4 c or so) of broth to each bowl. This isn't pho, so don't add too much. Everyone can add garnishes to taste, but don't be shy -- toss 'em in! This is where some of the best flavors come from.

It's a bright, pretty dish, with very simple flavors -- nothing as complex as pho or bun bo Hue, but who knows, maybe I'm missing something? In any case it was tasty and I'll certainly make it again.

BTW, if anyone (or their Vietnamese sister-in-law) has any suggestions for improvement, please let me know!