Ga Xao Sa Ot – Vietnamese Spicy Lemongrass chicken

Ga Xao Sa Ot (or Ga Kho Sa Ot) – Vietnamese spicy lemongrass chicken is an aromatic mix of lemongrass, chili sauce tender chicken and vegetables, most importantly, it’s a quick and simple single-pot meal that you can prepare on a weekday.

The dish is typically prepared at home in Vietnam in contrast to. restaurants (even even though this was the most awaited food at the home of my mother’s Vietnamese dining establishment).

The lemongrass

Lemongrass (sa*) is also known as citronella , is a plant that has a taste similar to its name. It’s the combination of spicy ginger and widely used throughout South Vietnam. Although it is known for its healing properties in Southeast Asia however, it’s also known for its distinctive taste. The distinct, strong aromatic taste is well paired with many shallots, garlic and onions to help balance it out.

For a lemongrass purchase at the market, search for stalks that are neat and hardy with a yellow-colored base and vibrant green husks at their top. If you are preparing the lemongrass, it is necessary to scrub your stalks clean and cut off away the hard outer layer away to reveal the lower yellow leaves that lie inside.

See more: Ba Chi Rang Sa – Vietnamese lemongrass Pork Belly

The yellow lower portion is more flexible. You should crush the leaves until they’re smooth and fine. Then, you can add them to the chicken. In stews and soups such as Bo Kho as well as the chicken curry (Cà ri gà). You can remove the leaves and then smash the roots to make to speed up the preparation.

Typically, you discard more than 50 percent of the lemongrass stem for use on the bottom. The tops can be kept in the freezer should you’d like for the recipes mentioned above. They aren’t expensive 4 stalks of $1.00.

If you’re not able to find it fresh in the grocery store there are many places that sell lemongrass in different types: frozen, pre-ground as well as in plastic cans or bags. While fresh lemongrass is more appealing however, frozen is still quite good if you’re in the middle of a crisis.

Tips for preparing

In order to prepare this dish you must unlock the aromas by sautéing them in the pan. It’s best to do this in order beginning with the ingredients which take longer to cook (ones with a higher moisture content) and then slowly adding other ingredients to into the pan until they start to brown.

If the sweet scent of lemongrass fills your kitchen, cook the chicken to cook and then add the sauce and cook at medium-low until the chicken is cooked to perfection. You can alter the spice level for this dish according to your preference.

The chili sauce

This spice is commonly used in a variety of Vietnamese dishes because it’s already prepared and tastes delicious. It’s typically used to give an instant dose of spice. It’s great for providing a quick dose of spice to the prepared dipping sauce (Nước chấm), rice porridge (chao) as well as certain soups, however not all of them.

This recipe offers that incredible deep red color that is present during the cooking process.

The chicken

In Vietnam the dish typically has bone-in chicken as it is the most simple and natural method to serve meat. It is also the most sustainable, as you aren’t able to throw away any that are part of the chicken! However, in my mother’s old restaurant , this dish was the most requested item with the Silicon Valley locals because it was extremely available.

In the recipe I’m using, my favorite recipe is to combine thigh with chicken breasts for the most flavorful of both. Another option if you’re a vegetarian and want that lemongrass kick is to use crispy tofu that has been fried in place of the chicken.

Serving

I like adding green onions in the very end to let it soften a bit, and to add a bit of color. In other words, you’re left with one hue of sauce and chicken (which tastes great in the absence of focus on appearances). Lemongrass chicken that is spicy tastes ideal with this fruity and tart mango salad as well as a basic side of rice.