Here’s an easy version of Singapore Noodles made using chicken and bacon instead of having to hunt down Chinese BBQ Pork and peel fresh prawns. Same sauce, same vermicelli noodles, just as delicious. You can make this tonight!

The finished dish photos in this post were taken by Rob Palmer.

Singapore chicken vermicelli noodles

These noodles are a simpler “I can make this tonight!” version of Singapore Noodles, a firm takeout favourite here in Australia. It’s made with yellow curry flavoured vermicelli noodles stir fried with vegetables, egg ribbons, Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu) and fresh prawns. It’s fast to make – if you happen to have the pork and prawns on hand. Which I never do.

So here’s a version you can make using more regular weekly grocery items. Bacon, chicken, baby spinach and bean sprouts (useful no-chop vegetables I always have). Plus red capsicum strips and egg ribbons (literally just a thin omelette cut into strips), both of which are Singapore Noodle staples, all tossed in the Singapore Noodle curry flavoured sauce.

Ingredients in Singapore vermicelli noodles

This one’s a great versatile recipe you can make with whatever vegetables you’ve got on hand. I think you’ll also like that there’s a good amount of vegetables in it, so it’s a well-rounded complete meal.

The proteins

A mix of chicken, bacon and egg keeps things interesting. Feel free to change the chicken to another protein. But I really urge you to use the bacon. It adds a great flavour pop that replaces the little bits of Chinese BBQ Pork that you get in traditional Singapore Noodles.

• Chicken – I like to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they are juicier than breast and tenderloin, though they work just fine too. We only use 150g/5 oz, which is around one large thigh. Don’t forget we have bacon and egg too!

• Curry powder and salt – To season the chicken. Simple but never boring, because we get flavour from the sauce too! For the curry powder, you just need the regular kind you get from grocery stores, like Clives and Keens (Australian brands). No need to hunt down an obscure Singaporean curry powder! Avoid hot curry powder – unless you want your noodles spicy.

• Bacon – Streaky bacon, for the best flavour. Though lean bacon will work too (we call it “shortcut bacon” here in Australia, the round eye part that’s devoid of flavour – oops, I mean fat 😂).

• Eggs – Two eggs which we will use to make a thin omelette crepe which we then slice into ribbons. Signature feature of traditional Singapore Noodles which we’re keeping!

FOR THE STIR-FRIED NOODLES

• Vermicelli noodles – The thin white dried “pokey” noodles that are prepared by soaking in hot water. Very common these days, in the noodle or Asian aisle in grocery stores.

  Not to be confused with glass noodles / bean thread noodles which are the clear kind (see Glass Noodle Salad recipe for a closer look at these). While you can make this recipe with glass noodles, it is not quite as good because the noodles are so slippery, the sauce doesn’t stick to them very well!

• Garlic and onion – Stir fry staples!

• Capsicum (bell pepper) – I like the red strips in traditional Singapore Noodles so I kept them for this recipe.

• Bean sprouts and baby spinach – “Grab and toss” vegetables that helps make this recipe fast to make while adding more vegetables so it’s a well rounded me. Feel free to use more of either, or substitute with other cook-able leafy greens. Or you could be a real rebel and make the effort to chop some vegetables yourself!

SINGAPORE NOODLE SAUCE

And here’s what you need for the sauce, which is the same as the sauce used in traditional Singapore Noodles.

• Soy sauce – Use either light or all purpose soy sauce. But not dark soy sauce – flavour is too strong and the colour is too intense! More on which soy sauce to use when here.

• Chinese cooking wine (“Shaoxing wine”) is an essential ingredient for making truly “restaurant standard” Asian noodles. Without, the flavour is missing something. Substitute with Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry. Non alcoholic substitute – 1/3 cup (80 ml) low sodium chicken stock. Expect to toss the noodles for an extra minute or two as it will require a little extra time for the sauce to reduce.

• Curry powder – Just the regular stuff you get from grocery stores, like Clives and Keens (Australian brands). Avoid hot – unless you want the heat!

• White pepper rather than black is the standard in Asian cooking. The flavour is a little fresher than black pepper, and you also cannot see it. Whereas if you use black pepper (which you totally can) you will see little black specks on the noodles.

How to make Singapore Chicken Vermicelli Noodles

As with all stir fries, have all the ingredients chopped and ready to toss into the pan. Because once you start cooking, there is no time to stop!

Soak vermicelli noodles

Prepare the vermicelli noodles per the packet directions. Usually it says to soak in warm or boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, then drain. Nice and easy!

TIP: Don’t soak the noodles until you’re ready to start cooking. The longer the noodles sit around, the more prone they are to breaking. This tip applies to most noodles.

MAKING THE STIR FRIED NOODLES

Once your ingredients are chopped and measured out, it takes around 10 minutes to cook from start to finish. Nice and fast, as most stir fried noodles are!

1. Toss the chicken in the curry powder and salt, then set aside. There’s no need to let it marinate because the chicken pieces are so small and each piece is coated in the tasty curry powder.

2. Mix the sauce ingredients in a small jug.

3. Egg omelette – First up, make the egg ribbons. Heat a tiny amount of oil in the pan – just enough to spread across the base. Then once hot, pour the whisked eggs in and swirl so it covers the base of the pan. Leave it on the stove until the surface sets but is still a bit wet – it literally takes around 30 seconds.

4. Egg ribbons – Flip or slide the omelette onto a cutting board. Once it’s cool enough to handle, roll it up like a cigar then slice thinly. Voila! Egg ribbons!

5. Stir fry – The order in which things are added into the pan is very deliberate! First, the bacon. It needs a head start and also I like to get some of the fat melting into the pan so it flavours everything else. After a minute, add the onion and cook until it’s starting to wilt, about 2 minutes. Then add the chicken and cook until the surface is seared (the inside will still be raw).

6. Capsicum and garlic – Next, the capsicum and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, by which time the chicken will be cooked through, the onion is translucent and the bacon is golden. Perfect!

7. Noodles and sauce – Add (in this order) the baby spinach, bean sprouts, noodles then sauce. The idea being that the noodles weigh the fluffy veg down! Then toss for a good 2 minutes until the sauce reduces and stains the noodles a lovely yellow(y) colour. Heads up – there may be some noodle breakage, with some noodle brands breaking more easily than others. And that’s totally ok.

8. Egg ribbons – And finally, gently toss through the egg ribbons just to disperse. Then serve!

Today’s photos – shot by Rob Palmer!

Before I sign off, I just want to make mention of the photos in today’s post. The finished dish photos were taken by Rob Palmer who is a professional photographer here in Sydney I have worked with on various projects, including my cookbook. These photos were taken at my house in a make-shift studio we set up for the day.

Getting Rob to take the photos for my website is part of my longer term plan to try to get a better work-life balance. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’ve been struggling in recent years with my workload as my team, business and activities has expanded. And I am determined to fix it! Life is too short, and I am genuinely worried I will burn out.

There will be a transition period. And I’d always like to do some of the photos because I genuinely enjoy it. But I hope to eventually have Rob taking most of the photos for the website. Plus, we can do more photos with Dozer and I in them!

I’d like to do a bit of a RecipeTin-world update soon, because there’s actually a lot that’s been happening which is why I’ve been publishing less than my typical 3 new recipes a week. So I won’t go into more details today, I’ll sign off here.

For now, please enjoy today’s new recipe! I really hope you try it. It’s a terrific complete-meal stir fry that’s simple to make, with adaptable ingredients and just requires a trip to your everyday grocery store. Enjoy! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Easy Singapore Chicken Vermicelli Noodles

Recipe video above. This is just a downright delicious and easy noodle stir fry that channels the flavours of everybody's favourite Singapore Noodles. Same sauce, same egg ribbons, and strips of red capsicum. But with chicken and bacon instead of having to make or hunt down Chinese BBQ Pork and peel fresh prawns! I've also added bean sprouts and baby spinach for extra no-chop veg quota to turn this into a complete meal.

This might not be traditional but it's quick, easy, tasty, and you can make it tonight!

Course Main

Cuisine Asian

Keyword easy singapore noodles, rice noodle stir fry, rice vermicelli, vermicelli noodles

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 3 people

Calories 517cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 100 g/3.5 oz dried vermicelli noodles (not glass noodles)

Singapore noodles sauce:

• 3 tbsp light soy sauce , or all-purpose soy (not dark soy) (Note 1)
• 3 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine, Note 2)
• 3 tsp curry powder (Note 3)
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 1/2 tsp white pepper (sub black pepper)

Chicken:

• 150g/ 5 oz skinless boneless chicken thighs (sub breast or tenderloin), cut in half lengthways then finely sliced into 5mm / 1/5″ strips
• 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp curry powder (Note 3)

Stir fry add-ins:

• 2 tbsp plain oil (canola, veg, peanut)
• 2 eggs , whisked
• 100g/3 oz streaky bacon , chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 brown onion , finely sliced
• 3 garlic cloves , finely minced
• 1 red capsicum (bell pepper), deseeded and finely sliced
• 1 very heaped cup bean sprouts (or more leafy greens)
• 1 very heaped cup baby spinach (or other cook-able leafy greens or more bean sprouts)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

• Sauce – Mix the sauce in a small bowl or jug.
• Season chicken – Toss the seasoned chicken ingredients in a bowl.
• Egg ribbons – Heat a small amount of the oil in a large non stick pan over medium high heat. Pour the egg in a swirl to make a thin omelette. Once the surface is set (literally 30 seconds), slide or flip it onto a cutting board. Cool so you can handle it, roll it up into a cigar then cut into 7mm / 1/3" strips. Separate. Voila! Egg ribbons!
• Stir-fry – Heat the remaining oil in the same pan over high heat. Add the bacon and cook for 1 minute. Add the onion and cook until it starts to wilt and the bacon is light golden (about 2 minutes). Add the chicken and cook until the surface is seared. Then add the garlic and capsicum and cook for another 2 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
• Noodles – Add (in this order) the baby spinach, bean sprouts, noodles then sauce. Using 2 spatulas, toss well for 1 1/2 minutes or until the sauce stains the noodles. There will be noodle breakage – that's normal.
• Finish – Toss through the egg ribbons (gently, just to disperse) then serve immediately!

Notes

1. Soy sauce – Use either light or all purpose soy sauce. But not dark soy sauce – flavour is too strong and the colour is too intense! More on which soy sauce to use when here.

2. Chinese cooking wine (“Shaoxing wine”) is an essential ingredient for making truly “restaurant standard” Asian noodles. Without, the flavour is missing something. Substitute with Mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry. Non alcoholic substitute – 1/3 cup (80 ml) low sodium chicken stock. Except to toss the noodles for an extra minute or two.

3. Curry powder – Just the regular stuff you get from grocery stores, like Clives and Keens (Australian brands). Avoid hot – unless you want the heat!

4. Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Not suitable for freezing.

Nutrition per serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 517cal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 179mg | Sodium: 1587mg | Potassium: 591mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3018IU | Vitamin C: 63mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 4mg

Life of Dozer

Ahh, poor Dozer! He’s had a rough week. Rough few months, actually!

In the last week, he’s been to the vet 7 times due to what was finally determined to be acute gastro, though at one stage there was a concern it was a much more serious issue (such as megaesophagus). In the almost 12 years I’ve had him, I’ve never seen him in such distress, pain and not to mention the floods of un-controllable💩 (the words “explosion” and “flood gates” come to mind).

There’s been a handful of midnight hospital visits, a couple of all-nighters, and much time spent trying to figure out food he’ll eat that’s laryngeal paralysis* and gastro-friendly.

Let’s just say canned dog food doesn’t make the cut. I know, I know, no one is surprised!

* This is the condition he was diagnosed with earlier this year in which his larynxes are paralysed which means he is at high risk of food getting into his lungs. This causes lung infections which can be deadly. So he is on a special diet these days.

Anyway, in a nutshell, it’s been a rough week for poor Dozer. Well, actually, it’s been 10 days now. He seems to be at the tail end of it now though still not back to his normal self. Right now he’s sitting under the table at my feet, clearly feeling a little nauseous though nowhere near as extreme as it was last week. (He has anti-nausea pills. I skipped this morning thinking he was ok. I’ll be putting him back on them for a while, I think!).

But he is much, much better than he was on the weekend which was pretty horrific. The worst part was seeing him in such pain, finding him curled up in the middle of the night under a bush in the far corner of the garden. I knew something was really wrong. 😢

I’m so thankful he’s feeling better now!

Oh – but finishing with a little fun: here he is in the early stages of his gastro when I resorted to man-buns:

But by the time the weekend rolled around and after the 20th butt wash, we caved and shaved his butt. You don’t need to see a photo of that. 😂

Hope to bring more positive Dozer news in the next post! – Nagi x

The post Singapore Chicken Vermicelli Noodles appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

A pile of crispy seasoned chickpeas, juicy bursts of roasted tomatoes, tender strands of chicken and the most amazing creamy tahini dressing tossed with ribbons of kale. Introducing – my Chicken Kale Salad. Now THIS is a kale salad I crave!

A chicken kale salad to crave

This is a fully loaded kale salad that was intentionally designed to be satisfying to have as a meal. It has great variety of textures and flavours – crunch and saltiness from chickpeas, (soft) chewiness of the kale leaves, fresh juiciness from the tomatoes, tender meaty bits of chicken all tossed with a rich, cream tahini dressing. It’s incredibly filling. And the high delicious factor goes without saying!

But really, the absolute star here is the tahini dressing which is so creamy, it’s hard to believe there’s not a drop of mayonnaise in it. The richness is natural, from tahini, enriched with olive oil, balanced with the fresh tang of lemon and a good hit of savouriness from parmesan.

You could actually skip all the add-ins and just make this salad with kale and that creamy tahini dressing, and it would still be scoff-worthy. But I really hope you try this recipe in its entirety too, because it’s something else!

Ingredients in this chicken kale salad

I’m not going to lie – the ingredients list is longer than 95% of the recipes on my website. Because there’s a number of components to this salad. But it’s worth it! And we’re just making a salad here. It’s perfectly straight forward.

The kale (& onion)

First up, the kale!

Tuscan kale – This is the first recipe I’m sharing using tuscan kale, ordinarily I use the more common curly kale. Also known as also known as cavolo nero, black or lacinato kale, the leaves are shaped like silverbeet/chard and not as bushy/curly as regular kale (curly kale) so it’s more suitable to cut into slaw-like strips like I do in this recipe. The leaf is also softer than curly kale.

If using regular curly kale (which you totally can), don’t try to cut it into strips (it gets all crumbly). Just chop or tear into small bite size pieces.

Onion – Just a quarter of a red onion which we sliced very finely so it flops throughout the salad. I like the freshness if adds into this salad.

creamy tahini dressing INGREDIENTS

• Tahini – This is plain pureed sesame and it’s the star player here, providing richness and creaminess in the dressing so it clings to every bit of the kale (and everything else it touches). Be sure to get hulled tahini which is the more common variety here in Australia (pale beige colour) not unhulled tahini (darker in colour and bitter). Tahini is typically found in the health food aisle in grocery stores, else alongside spreads.

• Extra virgin olive oil – The oil in this dressing, rather than using just tahini which makes the dressing too thick.

• Parmesan – For a good hit of savoury flavour. It’s best to grate your own but even pre-grated is fine because we blitz it smooth. Alternative – Anchovies. Oh yes! Use as many as you dare to add flavour and salt without the sauce tasting fishy.

• Lemon – The tang in this dressing, to balance out the richness of the tahini and olive oil. Fresher than vinegar, though you can substituted with apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.

• Garlic – Just one clove, else the raw garlic flavour is a little too full on (blitzing really brings out the flavour of raw garlic!).

• Water to thin the sauce to a toss-able consistency. Don’t worry, it doesn’t dilute the dressing flavour, there’s loads of flavour in the dressing!

burst roast tomatoes

Named as such because they burst in your mouth! Literally just cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes, as I seem to use more often these days) roasted in a little oil, salt and pepper until they are a little wrinkled which means in the inside is beautifully soft.

THE CHICKEN

To keep things easy, I just use a store bought roast chicken and shred it myself. If you poach and shred your own, toss the chicken in a pinch of salt and pepper before using in this recipe (because store bought chicken is brined so the flesh has salt).

crispy seasoned chickpeas

And last but certainly not least, the crispy chickpeas! I’m using my go-to spice mix for chickpeas here, recently featured in the Spicy maple roast carrots recipe. It adds great crunch into this salad and nice little salty seasoned pops, as well as adding a starch to fill the meal out. And it’s a “good starch” too, that will keep you feeling fuller for longer.

How to make this chicken kale salad

While there are a few components to this salad, there’s a nice workflow to it:

1. Get those bursty tomatoes and crispy chickpeas in the oven (30 minutes)

2. While they are baking, chop and “marinate” the kale leaves to soften them (20 minutes)

3. Make the dressing, shred the chicken and slice the onion.

4. Assemble and eat!

1. Burst roast tomatoes & crispy chickpeas

1. Bake together – Toss the tomatoes in oil, salt and pepper. Then drain the chickpeas and put them, still wet, onto a separate tray. We’re going to oven dry them before tossing in the seasonings (less effort and more effective to get them crispy than towel or air drying!). Bake both for 12 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and wrinkly, by which time the chickpeas will be thoroughly dried.

2. Toss the chickpeas in a little oil which will make the spice mix stick, then pop them back in the oven for another 20 to 25 minutes or until the chickpeas are crispy (you’ll know, they clatter).

3. Burst tomatoes – Let them cool on the tray until you’re ready to use them. Don’t handle them, they are delicate and prone to, well, bursting!

4. Crispy chickpeas – Once the chickpeas are ready, just set them aside to cool slightly before using. Nobody wants a third degree mouth burn from hot little crispy balls of chickpeas!

2. STRIPPING KALE LEAVES

Because the stem of kale leaves are quite tough and fibrous, I remove the leafy part from the stem. I just rip it off – quick, easy, effective!

1. Separate the leaves then work one leaf at a time.

2. Grab the stem and then grab the leafy part with your other hand and pull it up the stem which will rip the leafy part cleanly off the stem. Don’t worry about crushing the kale leaves, they are hardy and can take it. In fact, we crush them deliberately to soften them!

3. Said leafy part.

4. Stem – Discard or throw into your next batch of vegetable stock.

3. Making the kale salad

1. Soften kale – Kale is a little chewy when eaten raw. So I like to soften it before using in salads. To do this, just massage / scrunch the chopped kale with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Not much is needed – a little goes a long way, you will be surprised! About 10 seconds of enthusiastic scrunching is all that’s needed to disperse the oil onto each bit of kale. Then set it aside for 20 minutes which will soften the kale leaves. In fact, the kale can keep like this overnight, it won’t go soggy like other leafy greens.

   If you don’t mind the chew, feel free to skip this step!

2. Blitz dressing – Use a stick blender to blitz the dressing until smooth. A stick blender works best. If you use a blender, you’ll need to really scrape the sides / blades well. For a food processor, you’d have to use a small one. To make it by hand, finely grate the garlic using a microplane or fine grater and mix very well until smooth. You will have some little parmesan lumps but the dressing will still be tasty.

3. Toss the kale with about two thirds of the dressing (we drizzle the rest on at the end). No need to be exact here, just eye ball it.

4. Add ins – Add the chicken, red onion and cherry tomatoes then toss again just to disperse them.

5. Crispy chickpeas next! Just pile them on.

6. Finish by drizzling with the remaining dressing and a big shower of freshly grated parmesan. Then DIG IN!

I forgot the egg

As I was writing up this post, I realised I forgot to include the soft boiled egg in the recipe video. It is an optional extra and something I added as a last minute addition to dial up the good-for-you substantial-ness of this salad even more.

But it doesn’t need it.

In fact, as I said in the opening, it doesn’t need all the extras. You could skip the chicken, the chickpeas, the onion and tomatoes, and just make a giant bowl of kale tossed in this dressing and it will be a great kale salad side dish.

But if you want to make a statement meal-worthy salad, I urge you to go all in, at least once, to experience the greatness of this kale salad! And I hope you become obsessed with it as I have. – Nagi x

PS Great one for making ahead up to 2 days. Even the “marinated kale” keeps perfectly and won’t go limp like regular leafy greens once they come into contact with oil.

Watch how to make it

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The most amazing Chicken Kale Salad

Recipe video above. WORTH MAKING – don't let the length of the ingredients deter you!! This is a big, hearty salad that may well be the best kale salad you've ever had. Big call I stand by!

Filled with good-for-you nutrition yet anything but bland, that creamy tahini sauce totally makes it, thanks to the parmesan. Crunchy seasoned chickpeas add starchy bulk, flavour pops and texture, the cherry tomatoes add juicy bursts and the chicken provides protein. Oh yeah, and there's kale in it too! Powerhouse greens!

Course Main

Cuisine Western

Keyword chicken kale salad, kale salad

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 3 – 4 people

Calories 695cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

SOFTENED KALE:

• 5 very tightly packed cups Tuscan kale (cavolo nero) , leafy part stripped off stem, sliced into 1 cm / 1/2" ribbons (Note 1)
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt and pepper

SALAD:

• 1/4 red onion , very finely sliced
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken , I use store bought (else poach your own, Note 2)
• 2 soft boiled eggs , halved (optional)

BURST TOMATOES

• 1 1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

CRISPY SEASONED CHICKPEAS

• 400 g/ 14 oz can chickpeas , drained but not dried
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp EACH garlic powder , onion powder
• 1/4 tsp EACH cooking salt / kosher salt & black pepper

CREAMY PARMESAN TAHINI DRESSING

• 4 tbsp (60 g) tahini , hulled (Note 3)
• 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup parmesan finely grated (pack the cup tight), plus extra for serving
• 1/2 tsp cooking salt/kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1 large garlic clove , peeled
• 4 tbsp water (plus more, if needed)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

SHORTFORM RECIPE:

• Oven – Roast tomatoes 12 min at 200°C/425°F (180°C fan). Roast plain chickpeas 10 min, toss with oil & seasonings, roast 20 min until crispy (same temp).
• Salad – Massage kale, leave 20 min. Blitz dressing. Toss kale, chicken, tomatoes, onion with half. Pile on chickpeas, drizzle with remaining dressing, shower with parmesan. EAT!

FULL RECIPE:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/425°F (180°C fan).
• Roast tomatoes – Toss the tomatoes with the oil, salt and pepper on a small tray. Roast 12 minutes, then cool on the tray.
• Crispy chickpeas – Drain the chickpeas then spread on a tray (still wet). Bake 10 minutes (same time as tomatoes). Push the oven dried chickpeas to one side of the tray. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the chickpea spices, salt and pepper. Toss well using a rubber spatula, then return to the oven for a further 20 – 25 minutes until they're crispy (They should clatter! Note 4).
• Soften kale – Rub/scrunch the kale with the oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Put the kale in a large bowl then drizzle with the oil and add the salt and pepper. Set aside for 20 minutes (softens leaves).
• Tahini dressing – Put the ingredients in a jug just large enough to fit the head of a stick blender. Blitz until smooth, using extra water if needed to loosen into a thick but pourable consistency (see video).
• Toss – Pour half the dressing over the kale and toss. Add onion, chicken and most of the tomatoes (save a few for decoration). Toss again.
• Serve – Transfer into a serving bowl or individual bowls. Top with remaining tomatoes, all the chickpeas and eggs if using. Drizzle with remaining sauce then sprinkle with extra parmesan. DIG IN. SWOON!

Notes

* You could totally just make this with the kale and tahini dressing if you’re just in need of a tasty kale side salad. Everything else are add-ins that makes this into a satisfying, interesting meal-size-salad!

1. Tuscan kale, also called cavolo nero, black or lacinato kale, has leaves shaped more like silverbeet (chard) slightly flatter than curly kale so more suited to cutting into slaw-like strips and the leaves are slightly softer too. To use regular curly kale, chop into bite size pieces (don’t slice thinly, doesn’t really work well).

Removing the leaf off the stem – Grab and rip it off! Quick ‘n easy, watch the video

2. Chicken – I use store bought roast chicken. If cooking your own, I recommend poaching it using this method. Shred then toss with a pinch of salt and pepper before using.

3. Tahini – Mix well if the oil is separated. If it’s set like cement, microwave to warm (it will loosen) then use a stick blender. Hulled is lighter in colour (standard tahini). Unhulled tahini is darker and more bitter (harder to find), I don’t use this.

4. Roasted chickpeas should be crispy on the outside but still soft on the inside (else they are like little rocks!). 10 minutes dry roasting makes them extra crisp (better than air or towel drying) though they will start to soften after an hour or so. For ultra crisp though, and longer lasting crisp, you need to deep fry.

Re-crisp by popping in the oven for 5 minutes or so (same temp per recipe).

5. Storage – Oil rubbed kale will keep just fine for 2 days. Keep the components separate then assemble when required. Crispy chickpeas can be revived – see above note.

Nutrition per person, assuming 3 servings. It’s filling! Easily stretch to 4 with bread or double the chickpeas.

Nutrition

Calories: 695cal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 24g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 177mg | Sodium: 1186mg | Potassium: 825mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1038IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 208mg | Iron: 6mg

Life of Dozer

In exciting news – the RTM sign reveal! Yes, a giant life-size Dozer sticker on the front of RTM.

It is actually quite worrying what a thrill I got to slap a giant Dozer sticker on the RTM window. 😂

And in other news, Dozer was visiting RTM for a shoot day with a professional photographer (Rob Palmer). It’s been bothering me that I still don’t have an RTM website (one of the reasons I haven’t started a volunteer program and public donations yet) and really great photos to provide to media and for other uses. So we had a big shoot day yesterday to capture great photos of the team at work, and what we do.

And I’m explaining all of that so I can share that sadly, Dozer was restricted to the office area for hygiene and food safety reasons. You’d think he’d realise he can barge past that stool and bolt into the kitchen to get to the 480 meals we were making that day, but he’s too good a boy for that! Instead, he just stood there and barked all day. 😂

OFFICIAL PROGRESS REPORT – And on a serious note, his rehab post surgery is continuing though I feel like over the past week noticeable progress stalled somewhat. I’m hoping he hasn’t peaked yet and has more improvements to come.

Also, I think he picked up a stomach bug or gastro on the weekend so he hasn’t been himself this week with some pretty serious bouts of nausea and hyper salivating. I’m a little worried because vomiting / regurgitation poses a lung infection risk for him because of his medical condition which is serious, scary and can be deadly. He’s been to the vet and has another visit scheduled for tomorrow. Fingers crossed he gets over it soon so we can re-commence his strength training!

Mind you, he wouldn’t have been bustling around me in the kitchen to try today’s dish anyway because Dozer’s disregard for kale is pretty well documented:

That was the chapter opener photo from my cookbook. I love that photo so much, it just captures his attitude perfectly! 😂

On a more cheerful note though, he did get out to the beach again on the weekend (Bayview in the Northern Beaches of Sydney where I lived until a year ago). It takes me 40 minutes to drive there and it’s worth every minute because honestly, I can’t tell you how happy it makes him. His personality completely changes, he perks up and has more energy. I think it’s great for his muscle rehab so I’m going to keep taking him.

Woah, that was a much longer Dozer update than expected! I’ll sign off here and hope to bring more happy news with the next recipe! – Nagi x

The post The most amazing Chicken Kale Salad appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

This is a savoury zucchini cheese muffin in slab form which is a handy big-batch zucchini slice recipe to serve lots of people without fussing with muffin tins (I know you hate cleaning them too!). Economical. Hidden veg. 5 day shelf life. CHEESE. I challenge you to think of a reason not to make these immediately!

Zucchini cheese muffin slab

Adapted from my Zucchini Cheese Loaf, this is a recipe that came into existence when I was shamelessly baking for the staff at the animal hospital when Dozer was in for surgery. Who me, bribing the doctors and nurses with baked goods to ensure Dozer got extra care and attention?? Never! 😇

Truthfully though, after 3 batches of muffins I lost the will to clean yet another muffin tin (paper liners just seem out of place with savoury muffins?) and flipped over to what I christened a zucchini slab-muffin. So much easier to make one big slab then cut it into pieces than using muffin tin after muffin tin!!

Though the initial versions were just fine, over the past few weeks I’ve been tweaking the recipe to make it even better (thank you team RTM for your brutally honest feedback!) to make the crumb softer and fluffier, and extend the shelf life to 5 whole days. I’m so happy with the end result, and I hope you love it too!

Ingredients in Cheesy Zucchini Muffin Slab

Zucchini is the key ingredient in this muffin slab. It’s not just about sneaking in extra veggies or the lovely little green bits inside. It’s also keeps this muffin-slab fresh for up to 5 days, thanks to the moisture in the zucchini!

Zucchini

I use 3 zucchinis in this recipe. Two are grated and stirred into the batter, after sweating out excess water using a little salt. Zucchinis are over 90% water! The third is used to decorate the top.

I haven’t tried other vegetables in this recipe because my gut tells me the crumb will be a little drier than ideal. Even after squeezing out the excess water in the zucchini, there is still plenty of water in it which gets leeched out into the batter as it bakes. In fact, you’ll notice that the batter is a bit thicker than typical muffin batters – that’s to allow for residual zucchini moisture!

Dry ingredients

• Plain flour (all-purpose flour) – Not self raising flour which already has baking powder built in. Generally speaking, cakes and muffins don’t rise as nicely and the crumb is not as soft. Better to add your own rising agent, like baking powder.

• Baking powder and baking soda (bi-carb) – This recipe specifically uses both because it makes the softest crumb with an even rise (rather than a big dome). I know it’s irritating to have to use both, but it really does give the best result. I tried all sorts of combinations! However, if you’ve only got baking powder, you can substitute the baking soda with an extra 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, though the crumb will be a touch less tender (it will rise almost as well though).

• Plain white vinegar – Acidity that gives the baking soda a kick start on the rising! You can’t taste it at all, it’s just to activate the baking soda. Either vinegar or something else with acidity in it (like yogurt or sour cream) is fairly standard in most of my baking recipes that use baking soda. I use regular white vinegar but any clear(ish) vinegar will work just as well. Don’t use balsamic vinegar!!!

• Cheese – Use your favourite melting cheese like cheddar, tasty, colby (this is my everyday cheese), Monterey jack (this was, but difficult to find in Australia these days), gruyere (if your wallet stretches to this) etc. PS Pre-shredded is fine for this recipe!

  Mozzarella is not recommended because it does not have much flavour. If I were to use mozzarella, I’d probably use 150g / 5 oz mozzarella plus 75g / 2 1/2 oz parmesan.

• Milk – Full fat cow milk is best, though low fat works too.

• Large eggs, at room temperature – 55-60g/2oz eggs from a carton labelled “large eggs”. Make sure they are at room temperature not fridge cold. More on eggs for baking here (including a quick way to de-chill them).

• Oil and butter – Oil keeps cakes and muffins moist whereas butter adds flavour. Muffins that dry out the next day really bother me, so I was adamant that I wanted to use a bit. However, I missed the flavour of butter when just using oil. So I landed on a combination of both! Use any neutral flavoured oil.

• Garlic – I love the hint of garlic flavour in this muffin-slab! Use fresh garlic cloves (not dried), crushed using a garlic crusher or finely grated using a microplane. If using a knife, finely mince it then use the side of the knife to smear it into a paste.

How to make Zucchini Cheese Muffin Slab

I know it’s tempting to skip the zucchini sweating. I tried. And regretted it. The batter just got too soggy and didn’t cook through!

If you really short on time, you can reduce it to 10 minutes sweating time but use a tea towel to wring out the excess water (you’ll get more out than using hands).

1. Sweat 20 minutes – Sprinkle the grated zucchini with salt and toss. Set aside for 20 minutes to draw water out.

2. Squeeze out excess water using your hands. Just grab handfuls and squeeze. There’s no need to remove every single last drop (to do that, I’d ask you to use a tea towel) because the batter is deliberately designed a little thicker than typical as we will rely on residual water in the zucchini to add moisture as it bakes. But please make a bit of effort during this squeezing step!

   How much you need – We need 2 very tightly packed cups of squeezed out zucchini. A little more of less is fine, the recipe is pretty flexible. But if you have, say, 3 cups, that will weigh down the batter a little too much.

3. Decorative topping – Slice the third zucchini thinly however you’d like (I do lengthwise then halve, coins is also nice). Then toss with a little oil and pepper (not salt, it makes it sweat, we will salt later).

4. Whisk dry – For the batter, it’s delightfully straightforward as most muffins as. Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl (flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt).

5. Whisk wet – Then whisk all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Important to have all ingredients at room temperature else it won’t combine smoothly. For example, a jug of cold milk added into melted butter will make the butter solidify!

6. Combine – Then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until the flour is mostly incorporated, but not fully. Stop mixing when you can still see some bits of flour.

7. Add-ins – Then add the cheese and zucchini and mix them through. Stop mixing once the zucchini and cheese is dispersed. Over-mixing will make the crumb less soft than it should be!

8. Spread into a 23 x 33 cm / 9 x 13″ paper lined pan (I grease with butter).

9. Top with the zucchini slices.

10. Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let it cool for a bit, then it’s ready to eat!

Serving and storage matters

This is one of those foods that has a place from morning to night, whether it’s a breakfast on the run, a filler for your lunch box, after school snack or taking into the office to share with co-workers. I also particularly like that it’s “grab and go” without the need to fuss with plates for serving. Just a napkin, if you’re feeling civilised!

It will stay fresh for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge, though if it’s not too warm where you are then you can even just leave it in the pantry. The crumb stays moist thanks to the moisture in the zucchini as well as the oil in the recipe. And even at the tail end of its shelf life, a quick little toast in the oven is all it will take to rejuvenate.

Love to know what you think if you try this! In particular, I’d love to know what people use it for. Feeding hungry teenagers? Morning tea in the office? Book club?? Tell me, I want to know! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

Print

Zucchini cheese muffin slab

Recipe video above. This is a savoury cheese muffin with zucchini in slab form which is a handy big-batch recipe to serve lots of people without fussing with muffin tins (pain to clean!). An excellent shelf life of 5 days, economical to make, this will easily serve 15 to 20 people and is great to tuck into lunch boxes or serve for morning tea.

Don't be alarmed by the thickness of the batter, it gets a lot of moisture from the zucchini as it bakes!

Course Baking, Snack

Cuisine Western

Keyword afternoon tea, lunch box, Savoury Muffins, zucchini recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 15 – 20 people

Author Nagi

Ingredients

• 2 zucchinis (300g / 10 oz, ~17cm/7″ long) (Note 1)
• 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• 2 cups (tightly packed) shredded cheese at room temperature , like cheddar, tasty, colby, I use pre-shredded (Note 2)

Decorative topping:

• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• Pinch black pepper
• 2 pinches sea salt flakes (optional, for sprinkling at end)

Dry ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups flour , plain/all purpose
• 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda / bi-carbonate of soda (Note 3)
• 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt

Wet ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves , crushed using a garlic crusher or finely grated using a microplane
• 1 cup milk , preferably full fat, at room temp (I microwave 20 sec)
• 50g / 3 tbsp unsalted butter , melted, cooled
• 3 tbsp neutral oil (canola, vegetable, peanut)
• 2 large eggs (55g/2 oz each), at room temperature
• 1 tsp white vinegar (Note 4)

Cups – Metric

Instructions

Preparation:

• Sweat zucchini – Grate 2 of the zucchinis using a box grater. Toss with the salt then set aside for 20 minutes. Grab handfuls and squeeze out excess liquid (no need to be super forceful here but make a bit of effort!). You should have 2 very tightly packed cups. Set aside.
• Decorative zucchini – Finely slice the 3rd zucchini however you want, to decorate the surface. I cut the zucchini in half then into long strips. Thin coins is also nice. Toss with the oil and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan-forced). Lightly grease a 23 x 33cm / 9 x 13" metal pan with butter. Line with paper with overhang (so you can lift it out later).

Bake:

• Batter – Whisk the Dry ingredients in a large bowl using a handheld whisk. Make a well in the centre. Whisk the Wet ingredients in a separate bowl until combined. Pour the Wet into the Dry ingredients. Mix using a wooden spoon until the flour is mostly incorporated but there's still flour visible.
• Add-ins – Add zucchini and cheese then mix through. Some flour lumps is fine. Minimise mixing else the crumb will be tough. The batter will be thick – the zucchini will sweat more in the oven.
• Bake – Scrape into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Top with the zucchini slices. Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Cool – Sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use the excess paper to slide the slab onto a cooling rack then remove the paper. Cool for at least another 10 minutes.
• Cut into pieces (3 x 5 pieces, or 4 x 5). Nobody ever says no to a smear of butter either, especially if served warm!

Notes

1. Other veg – I haven’t tried this with carrot and other vegetables because my gut tells me it will be a little too dry. Because even though we sweat the excess water out of the zucchini (don’t skip this step), even more comes out as it bakes. Zucchinis are 90%+ water!!!

2. Cheese – I know it sounds weird to ask for room temperature cheese! But this batter is quite thick and if the cheese is fridge cold, it will really bring down the temp of the batter so it won’t rise as well. PS I use pre-shredded. No need to grate your own for this recipe.

Mozzarella – Doesn’t have enough flavour for this recipe, so if you use this, add 1/2 cup shredded parmesan.

3. Baking soda –  This really is best using both baking powder and baking soda (I tried all sorts of combinations to try to use just one instead of both). But it really is better using both – baking soda makes the crumb a little softer. However, still VERY good using only baking powder, use an extra 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and no baking soda.

4. Vinegar – Gives the baking soda a kick start to make the muffin rise. Similar effect that yogurt, buttermilk and sour cream has in cakes etc. You can’t taste the vinegar. Plain white vinegar is best but any neutral clear vinegar will work.

5. Storage – stays fresh for 3 to 5 days in the fridge in an airtight container, but serve at room temp or better yet, warm. Can be stored 2 days in the pantry as long as it’s not too hot in your house. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition per serving assuming 15 servings.

Life of Dozer

His first visit back to Bayview dog beach after his surgery. Look at that smile. ❤️

I know that photo is wonderfully upbeat. And it truly does capture a moment that made me so happy! But the reality is, he didn’t swim. He just broke out into a trot for a brief moment and I happened to snap a photo. 😂

The truth is, he is still very much on a path to recovery. I’m learning to be patient and to lower my expectations for the pace and how much fitness/strength etc he will manage to regain. He is still a shadow of what he was 3 months ago before his laryngeal paralysis came on so swiftly. But I’ve taken him in to see a canine physiotherapist who has given me exercises to help strengthen his muscles (it’s amazing how much muscle mass he has lost in 3 months) which will help let him enjoy being out and about more.

He gets out and up more than did pre surgery, but still spends the vast majority of each day resting.

In good news though, high-value food does pique his interest enough to get up and get in the way once again, like he used to! Here he is at a photoshoot yesterday – that’s Rob Palmer (professional photographer) on the left and our Chef JB on the right.

And here are a few more snaps of Dozer over the Easter break. Babysitting the slow roasted lamb:

Ah yes, and his worried face at the sight of the Easter hats…. 😂

And I’m not quite sure if this is his tolerating face (from the bear hug) or relaxing face (from the belly scratches)!

Thank you once again for all the wonderful messages of support, cheering on Dozer’s recovery! I hope to be able to continue to bring positive news, and I promise to remain completely dedicated to his rehab! – Nagi x

The post Zucchini cheese muffin slab appeared first on RecipeTin Eats.

** A very big thank you for sharing the happiness and relief of Dozer’s ongoing recovery post surgery. I’m so touched by all the support. ❤️ Now I can get back to my day job – GREAT FOOD!**

Here’s my recipe for Crispy Pork Belly Banh Mi, possibly the best sandwich I’ve ever had in my life! Stuffed with juicy pork belly meat with ultra crispy crackling, this Vietnamese sandwich has all the essential banh mi fixings plus a special secret banh mi sauce. Out of all the types of banh mi I make, this is my favourite!

Crispy Pork Belly Banh Mi

I recently had the best banh mi of my life at a place called Ca Com in Melbourne. It was a banh mi stuffed with crispy pork belly with a special sauce and plenty of banh mi fixings, and it was absolutely incredible. The standout was the pork itself which was ridiculously juicy with superior crispy crackling!

In fact, in recent years I’ve noticed more people ordering pork belly banh mi over the classic “mystery pork slices” version, an observation consistent with an Instagram poll I ran where 57% of respondents voted for crispy pork over the classic mystery pork slices (16%). Does that surprise you? It did me!

As wildly popular as the pork belly Banh mi is, it is actually quite hard to find really good ones, with dry meat and not-so-crispy-crackling the most common shortfall. So in case you don’t live around the corner from Ca Com (like me, all the way up in Sydney!), here’s my copycat recipe.

It’s not exactly the same (for example, they don’t use pâté, I insist of sticking with this tradition), but I’ve taken inspiration from theirs, including a copycat of their special banh mi sauce. I hope you become as obsessed with this as I have!

Authenticity background – it is!

In case you are curious, crispy pork belly banh mi does exist in Vietnam. The “mystery pork slices” version is still considered the classic, but banh mi shops and street vendors offer all sorts of filling options, from grilled meats to meatballs, chicken to egg. Crispy pork is not as common with street vendors (I think practicality might be a factor, because of the cooking logistics and cost) but it does exist.

Anatomy of a Crispy Pork Belly Banh Mi

Here’s what makes up a pork belly banh mi. There’s some gathering involved (oh yes, and a simple crispy crackling pork belly to make 😂). But once gathered (and crackled), assembly is a breeze! Excellent food for gatherings, particularly in summer.

1. Crispy pork belly (don’t worry, I have a tried-and-proven easy crispy crackling trick!)

2. Spreads – mayonnaise and pate

3. Pickled vegetables – carrot and daikon (white radish)

4. Fresh veg – coriander/cilantro, cucumber slices

5. Garnishes – fresh chilli, coriander/cilantro, crispy Asian shallots (optional, store bought)

6. Special banh mi sauce – A hoisin coconut milk mixture, copycat of the sauce used by Ca Com!

7. Crusty bread roll

Slow roasted Crispy Pork Belly for banh mi

Using the tried and true (easy!) tips in my Crispy Pork Belly recipe, this pork belly has terrifically crispy crackling that is crispy from edge to edge – no rubbery spots – with a tender fall-apart-flesh. It’s initially slow roasted to make the meat tender and dry out the skin, then blasted at a high heat to make the skin crispy.

Guaranteed crispy skin tips

Here are my little tricks that make all the difference to ensure we get crispy skin!

• DO NOT SCORE THE SKIN. A) you don’t need to score for crispy crackling. B) It’s risky. All it takes is an accidental pinprick piercing of the flesh and the juices that bubble up through that tiny hole will spread and result in a 10 cm/4″ patch of rubbery skin. While skilled butchers would never make this mistake, do you know who scored the pork belly you bought – an apprentice or a high school kid working in the grocery store meat department? No we do not! Don’t risk it.

• Fridge dry – Dry the skin overnight in the fridge, uncovered. Even a few hours in the fridge is effective. This is an insurance policy step that is recommended. If you skip it (especially if your pork belly was vac packed) you are not allowed to complain if your pork belly is not as crazy crispy as mine! 😂

• Level your pork – Use foil balls to level your pork belly so the skin is sitting as flat as possible. This will ensure even distribution of heat across your pork belly skin for superior crackling. If you don’t do this step, you’ll find that the lower points don’t crackle well – if at all.

And that, my friends, is all the pertinent information I need to impart for crispy crackling pork belly. Then just follow the simple recipe steps! Here’s a visual summary:

INGREDIENTS FOR PORK BELLY

Here’s what you need to make the crispy pork belly. Chinese five spice powder isn’t traditional but I like to add it for a touch of extra flavour. So consider it optional – there’s so many other things going on in banh mi, you won’t miss it.

• Pork belly NOT SCORED – Look for a piece that is even thickness (rather than thin at one end and thicker at the other) with flat, smooth skin. This shape will crackle better and the flesh will cook through more evenly.

  Not scored – As noted in the above section, make sure the skin is not scored. Check carefully if you buy a vac packed one because sometimes it’s hard to tell.

• Oil – Just any neutral flavoured oil: canola, vegetable or peanut oil.

• Salt – Essential for crackling. In fact, if you don’t put salt the skin, it won’t get that nice bubbly crispiness, it just becomes a flat sheet of hard skin.

• Pepper – I actually like to use black pepper for pork belly, but white pepper is fine too.

• Chinese five spice – As noted above, optional extra flavour!

How to make crispy pork belly for Banh Mi

The steps below are a slightly abbreviated version – because there is a LOT to say about crispy pork belly! For a full explanation of the why for particular steps and processes, please visit my Crispy Pork Belly recipe which has much more extensive information.

1. Fridge dry overnight or for a few hours, to really dry out the skin. This is a crispy crackling insurance policy that is especially recommended if you purchased your pork belly vac packed where the skin is fully soaked in juices for days/weeks! If you don’t have time, just pat the skin dry really well with paper towels.

2. Rub the flesh side with the oil, some of the salt, and all the pepper and Chinese Five spice.

3. Foil boat – Place the pork on a large sheet of foil and fold up the sides to create a “boat”. This holds all the pork fat in as it melts which keeps the flesh super juicy and moist. It’s essentially almost confit-ing in its own fat!

4. Salt the skin – Rub a bit of oil on the skin then sprinkle the salt evenly across the surface. Take your time with this step because as noted above in the ingredients section, salt = lovely bubbly crackling!

5. Slow roast for 2 hours at a low 140°C/275°F (all oven types). During this stage, the flesh will become beautifully tender and the skin will dry out but it will still be rubbery at this stage.

   Oven temperature & time – For this recipe, I use the same oven temperature for both fan and standard ovens because at lower temperatures, there is less difference between the two. Astute cooks may also note the time is slightly shorter than the Crispy Pork Belly recipe. This is because we don’t need the pork quite so “fall apart” for use in banh mi as it is chopped up into pieces.

6. Level the skin – After the slow roasting time, the pork will be a bit wonky (meat fibres shrink as they cook) and the skin will still be rubbery. Use foil balls to prop up the lower parts of the belly so the skin is as level as possible so the heat distribution will be more even across the surface and thereby ensuring it crackles evenly!

   Here is what it looks like before and after levelling.

7. Crackle it! Then blast the pork belly in a hot 240°C/465°F (all oven types) for 30 minutes, rotating as needed (if your oven heat is patchy) and using scraps of foil if needed to protect parts that crackle faster.

8. Admire – Pull the pork out of the oven and admire the brilliant crackling you just made, and resist the urge to peel the whole sheet off and run away with it!

Once the pork belly is cooked, we cut it into thick slices then into chunks to stuff into the banh mi.

Other Crispy pork belly banh mi fixings

There’s no denying for this banh mi, the star player is the crispy pork. But the other elements are important too! Here’s what you need.

special banh mi sauce

The standard sauce for banh mi sandwiches is Maggi Seasoning (think of it as an MSG enhanced soy sauce) or a derivation thereof. And while it’s ideal for classic mystery pork slices banh mi, I personally never felt that it really worked with pork belly slices. For one, a watery sauce doesn’t cling to pork belly hunks. And for another, watery sauces softens crispy crackling faster. Criminal.

So when I saw the banh mi fairies at Ca Com drizzle a thick dark brown sauce on the pork belly, I broke out into applause. Genius! I declared. Followed by – what’s in it?

Here’s what’s in it!

pickled carrots and daikon

This is the most common type of pickles I’ve seen in banh mi. They are classic Asian pickles – the tang is not as sharp as Western ones (because rice vinegar is not as sharp as most western vinegars), and they are more sweet than salty (but not overly sweet like some western ones tend to be).

Using carrots and daikon is an easy way to ensure you get great crunch in the pickles! Find the recipe for these pickles here.

vegetables and herbs

Classic banh mi typical includes thin slices of cucumber and green onion, often cut to the length of the bread roll. It’s not much, but enough to add a hint of juicy crunch from the cucumber and freshness from green onion which jumbles together with everything else to create the greatness that is a banh mi eating experience.

SPREADS

As for the spreads, I’m sticking with tradition here: pâté and mayonnaise. If you skip the pâté, it ain’t a banh mi!😊

Making the banh mi

Putting the banh mi tougher is just about the order in which it is assembled. And stuffing generously. Nobody wants a stingy banh mi!!

1. Pate first – spread on the base of the roll.

2. Mayo next – then spread the mayonnaise on top of the pate.

3. Vegetables – Pile the pickled vegetables non the pate, then plate the cucumber slices and green onion against the lid of the roll.

4. Pork – Then pile the pork in!

5. Sauce & coriander – Next, shove plenty of coriander down the side of the pork and drizzle everything with the banh mi sauce. Be as generous as you want – I use about 1 tablespoon.

6. Garnish – And finally, garnish! As much fresh chilli as you dare and a shower of crispy shallots (if using).

And with that, you are done and about to experience one of the greatest sandwiches of your life!!

Why we make crispy pork belly banh mi

We here in Sydney are blessed with an increasing number of banh mi shops, ranging from modern funky ones to traditional banh mi stands in Vietnamese neighbourhoods. However, as noted earlier, it is actually quite hard to find really good pork belly banh mi, with the pork itself being the letdown. The meat is not that juicy, the crackling not always crispy.

Having said that, even if the meat is not perfect, it is still a very enjoyable sandwich, thanks to all the other banh mi fixings. They are also typically extremely good value, with an enormous amount of pork for the price you pay. I understand why they are popular!

But, this homemade version? It is better than any I’ve had in Sydney. You just can’t beat the experience of fresh homemade pork belly.

The other cause to make this of course, is if you do not happen to live in an area with (good) banh mi shops, and for cost reasons too because this recipe will make 5 generously stuffed banh mi for around $30 – $35, depending on the price you pay for pork belly.

I really hope you try this one day. It is truly an exceptional eating experience! – Nagi x

Watch how to make it

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Crispy Pork Belly Banh Mi

Recipe video above. The crispy pork belly version of the famous Vietnamese sandwich, inspired by Ca Com in Melbourne, a famous banh mi shop. Hands down one of the best sandwiches I have ever made in my life, and my favourite type of banh mi (all my recipes here). Excellent food for sharing with friends and Sunday lunches.

The Special Sauce is a copycat of the Ca Com sauce and it's an excellent match for crispy pork – thicker so it clings and doesn't soak and soften the skin or bread.

PS The recipe for the crispy skin pork belly is based on the much-loved Crispy Pork Belly recipe. So you can have confidence that your pork WILL have perfect crispy crackling!

Course Main, Sandwich

Cuisine Vietnamese

Keyword crispy pork banh mi, Crispy pork belly, pork belly banh mi, pork belly crackling

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 hours hours

Drying skin in fridge 1 day day

Servings 5 rolls

Calories 1313cal

Author Nagi

Ingredients

Crispy pork belly for banh mi

• 1kg / 2 lb pork belly with skin on , NOT SCORED. Look for 3 – 3.5cm / 1.2 – 1.6" thick, even thickness with flat, unwrinkled skin, preferably not vac-packed (Note 1)
• 1 1/2 tsp canola or vegetable oil , divided
• 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice , optional (you won't miss it)
• 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt , divided
• 1/4 tsp black pepper (or white pepper)

Special banh mi sauce (Ca Com copy!)

• 4 tbsp Hoisin sauce
• 3 tbsp coconut milk , full fat
• 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce (mainly for colour, sub light or regular soy)

To make the banh mi (5 rolls)

• 5 crusty white rolls (lightly oven toast to crisp if crust is softened)
• 120g/ 4 oz chicken pate (Note 2)
• 6 tbsp whole-egg mayonnaise or Kewpie
• 1 batch Vietnamese pickled carrots and daikon
• 3 green onion stems , cut to length of rolls (2 to 3 pieces per roll)
• 2 cucumbers , finely sliced using vegetable peeled or knife
• 2 cups coriander/cilantro leaves and small sprigs
• 3 Birds Eye or Thai chillis , finely sliced
• 8 tbsp crispy fried shallots , store bought (Note 3)

Instructions

Crispy pork belly for banh mi

• Dry skin overnight: Place pork belly on a plate. Pat skin dry with paper towels. Leave uncovered in fridge overnight to dry out the skin. (If you don't have time, pat the skin dry as best you can).
• Preheat oven to 140°C/285°F (both fan and standard ovens).
• Season flesh: Drizzle flesh side with 1 tsp oil. Sprinkle over 1/2 tsp salt, and all the pepper and Chinese five spice. Rub all over the flesh, including on the sides.
• Foil boat: Place 2 pieces of foil on a work surface. Put the belly in middle of foil, skin side up. Fold the sides in to enclose the belly, forming an open box, pinching corners to seal tightly and make it as snug as possible. Place meat on a tray.
• Season skin: Pat skin dry with paper towels. Rub with 1/2 tsp oil then sprinkle remaining 1/2 tsp salt evenly all over the skin surface, from edge to edge.
• Slow roast 2 hours: Place in the oven and roast for 2 hours, tightening the foil around the pork after 1 hour (the pork will shrink). This protects the flesh from drying out.
• Increase heat: Remove pork from oven, then increase heat to 240°C/465°F (all oven types).
• Level pork: Remove pork from foil, discard fat and foil. Place pork on a rack set over a tray. Use scrunched up balls of foil stuffed under pork to prop it up so the skin surface is as level and horizontal as possible (see photos in post).
• 30 minutes blast! Place the pork back in the oven for 30 minutes, rotating after 15 minutes as needed, until the crackling is deep golden, puffy and crispy all over. If some patches are browning faster, protect with foil patches.
• Rest 10 minutes: Remove pork from oven. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Making the banh mi

• Sauce – Mix the ingredients in a bowl then set aside. This will keep for 5 days in the fridge .
• Chop pork – Cut the pork into 1 1/2 cm / 0.6" thick slices, then each slide into 1 1/2 cm / 0.6" chunks.
• Split & spread – Split the roll in half down the side, keeping the lid attached. Smear the base with 1 1/2 tbsp of pate, then 1 1/2 tbsp of mayonnaise (on top of the pate)
• Stuff – Pile about 1/3 cup pickled vegetables on the mayonnaise. Lay 2 slices of cucumber and 2 green onions against the lid. Pile pork on top. Drizzle pork with 1 tbsp of sauce. Stuff coriander/cilantro down the side, sprinkle with chilli then2 tablespoons of crispy shallots as you want (if using).
• Serving – Eat immediately! Banh mi is definitely one of those foods best eaten freshly made!

Notes

1. Pork Belly – Best to get one that has not been vacuum-packed (juices soak skin). If your belly is vac-packed, I really recommend doing the overnight drying uncovered in the fridge.

Look for a piece with flat, even skin as wrinkly skin doesn’t crackle as well (in the ridges, because heat can’t get to it as well).

Do NOT get one that is scored. It is a plain fact that you do NOT need to score for perfect crackling (read proof here!) All too often, butchers do poor scoring jobs and pierce through the fat into the flesh. Even the tiniest prick will cause meat juices to bubble up onto the skin and you’ll end up with rubbery patches.

2. Pate – or other pate of choice, but not orange or other flavoured

3. Crispy fried shallots – Sold in packs and tubs at regular grocery stores in the Asian aisle. Ca Com finishes their pork belly banh mi with a shower of crispy fried shallots! It definitely adds an extra touch, with crunchy salty goodness. But it’s optional because it is still excellent without.

4. Pork belly storage and reheating – Pork belly keeps and reheats well, and the crackling stays crispy. If not using cooked pork immediately, loosely cover with foil (it’s ok, the skin will stay crispy!) and it will be good for an hour to use for the banh mi. If intentionally making ahead, separate the crackling from the meat and reheat the cracking in the oven (crispy!) and meat in the microwave (retains moisture).

Nutrition

Calories: 1313cal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 135g | Saturated Fat: 49g | Cholesterol: 180mg | Sodium: 661mg | Potassium: 464mg | Fiber: 1g | Vitamin A: 26IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

Life of Dozer

So great to continue to see progress with Dozer’s recovery post op! Here he is at his first outing to the park since his surgery.

This surgery really took it out of him. Combined with his lack of exercise for the better part of the last 7 weeks, I’m taking his rehab slowly. His breathing is still a bit hoarse when he pants, but the most relieving thing for me is that he doesn’t have his panicked breathing episodes (think – asthma attack) multiple times a day. He sleeps through the night peacefully and quietly and is restful during the day.

And I’ve got my shoot-studio companion back. 🥰 He hasn’t figured out yet that he can no longer taste test (see this post for why). He also doesn’t realise I’m shooting pickled vegetables here.😂

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