Mark and I love to bring home memories from travel and weave them into our lives, making them our own. One of our favourites is food. Big shout-out to all you foodies out there!
The great thing about great travel is that it doesn’t have to be complicated to be authentic and it’s the same with food.
Both inspire us, encourage, challenge, thrill and even rescue us at different times in our lives. And I love bringing the two together and making some travel ‘moments’ a home one too.
Everybody has at least one.
I’m sure of it.
A holiday meal that captured the moment better than the camera roll on your phone. The pub steak late at night en route to Christchurch. Dumplings from that tiny street stall in Shanghai. The fish and chips you shared in the park in Rockhampton. It’s no secret that sourdough came home with us from France, sneaking through Australian customs by hiding inside my heart. 🖤
We’ve all had food on travels that transported us, or maybe I will say ‘anchored’ us, in that moment. Com Ga (Hoi An’s chicken rice) is a memory in a meal for me. The little family-run restaurant with $2 cocktails and a pregnant waitress. The sun setting over Thu Bon River followed by the short walk home across the road.
With a chicken and some veggies, I not only have a new go-to comfort food that’s healthy, but I can relive those sunsets again over the Thu Bon River any time.
INGREDIENTS
(Use your normal portion sizes)
BBQ chicken or leftover roast chicken – shredded
Rice (how much you would normally cook per person)
Shredded salad (any pre-made slaw works fine! Or make your own with any raw vegetables)
1 Lime plus another 1/2 lime each per person
1 Teaspoon sugar
1 Red onion
Fresh herbs – Mint, coriander, Vietnamese Mint (this now lives in my garden!)
Crushed chilli or Sambal Olek (optional)
TIP: If you have leftover chicken, freeze it for an even faster Com Ga next time!
METHOD
1. Finely slice the red onion. Place in a bowl with the juice of 1 lime and 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1/4 cup cold water. Let this pickle while you prepare the rest of the meal.
2. Cook the rice in water and the chicken stock cube.
3. Warm the BBQ chicken
4. When the rice is cooked, place one serving of rice each in separate bowls. Top with shredded chicken, shredded salad, pickled onion (strain and reserve the liquid), fresh herbs, chilli and half a lime. Pour a little of the pickling liquid over the salad.
5. Once served, each person can squeeze the lime over everything in their bowl, to their liking. Enjoy with your favourite beverage and people… 😉 If you like some added flavour, drizzle with kecap manis.
