We are an Asian food loving household. Each culture offers its own unique style of food, and we love each and every one of them. Last year, I traveled to Southeast Asian with my son for some one on one bonding time before he started high school. We visited Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Singapore. I wish we had time to visit more places while we were there, but we had an awesome three week adventure together. We traveled over the summer, which was very HOT but so much cheaper!
We went on a food tour in each country to experience the off the grid food establishments and traditional tastes of each culture. We had several meals that really stood out. Banh mi in Hanoi. Spicy beef with ants in Cambodia (yes! ants! they are absolutely delicious and added a nice citrusy crunch to the dish… I highly recommend trying them). Chicken and rice in Singapore. And, one of my favorites, Mì Quàng Gà.
We traveled to Hoi An in Vietnam and booked a day trip with Grasshopper Adventures. We joined a couple from Australia and their friend from Ireland along with our Vietnamese guide. The day started on bike, riding through small villages and through the backcountry of Vietnam. Talk about an amazing experience. And trust me, I feel so blessed looking back that we were able to have this amazing vacation before the world set on fire (in some places literally 🙁). The bike trip brought us to a small village market where locals sold produce, seafood, clothing, and knickknacks. Then we rode through rice fields and other country fields. Finally leading us to a coffee shop where we rested with cold beverages and fresh mango.
From there, a van drove us to My Son (“Me Son”) Sanctuary, which consisted of old Hindu temples. Many were in ruins but several of them had been restored or were in the process of restoration. It is a rare site to find religious representations in Vietnam because it is a communist country. Most Vietnamese believe in ancestor veneration but rarely in individual religions. So, My Son is a rare and unique site for Vietnam.
It was inhabited for almost a thousand years, which is truly amazing. What is absolutely incredible is the workmanship. The brick work from over 1000 years ago is pristine and the seam lines between bricks is tight. The bricks used to renovate the temples are the complete opposite. Moss and lichen grow between the new bricks and they are far from tight. That wonderful and mysterious craftsmanship of our ancient ancestors has long been lost, which is so sad, but awe-inspiring to behold.
Anywho, this isn’t a travel post; it’s a recipe post! After we walked around the UNESCO site, we stopped at a small restaurant on our way back to Hoi An. This restaurant was in the Quang Nam province and only served Mì Quàng. We were served Mì Quàng Gà, which is Mì Quàng with chicken. Mì Quàng is a turmeric broth soup and oh my god it was delicious. You can find Mì Quàng noodles at most Asian stores. I found very expensive noodles on Amazon but found very affordable ones here. Worst case, wide asian noodles should suffice, but I recommend trying to find real Mì Quàng noodles!
As is typical with much of Vietnamese cooking, soups are served with a medley of greens. Lettuces, cilantro, mint, banana leaves, etc. You can add them to the soup or not, but its the common way to add vegetables to your meal. Some add a squeeze of lemon or lime. And then, chopped peanuts are placed on top.
The broth is on the salty side, which I love. And my recipe calls for a good amount of fish sauce. Do not let the smell of fish sauce deter you! It adds an amazing umami flavor to the broth. And, the broth should have a bit of heat to it… not to the point that it makes you sweat or leaves your mouth on fire but enough for you to taste it. I add additional sambal oelek to my bowl to give it just a bit more heat.
The turmeric is derived from fresh turmeric, not powdered turmeric. My grocery store usually sells turmeric, but last time I went, they didn’t have any. However, I was able to find fresh turmeric for sale on Amazon that came quickly and was very fresh! I recommend wearing gloves when peeling the turmeric, otherwise you’ll have the hands of a 2 pack a day smoker for several days! Also, this will stain your cutting board! But, the color does fade over time.
There are two easy ways to peel turmeric. One way is similar to ginger. Using the edge of a teaspoon, scrape down the sides. The other way is to take a knife and at an angle that is almost parallel to the turmeric, scrape down the sides. After that, use a cheese grater to cut it up!
This recipe calls for what seems like a ton of peanut oil, but trust me, it blends with the broth perfectly and does not feel or taste all oily! I only used cilantro and bean sprouts as my “greens” and topped it with some roughly chopped up peanuts. Honestly, I had some individual serving size snack bags of salted peanuts and used a bag of those! But you can also by a tub of the unsalted peanuts too.
This was such a delicious meal in Vietnam and I am so happy to be able to recreate it at home. For near authentic central Vietnamese food, this is an absolute must!
Enjoy!
Mì Quàng Gà – Vietnamese Turmeric Noodles with Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Asian, Vietnamese
- Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients
Mì Quàng
1½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into small bite size pieces
1 cup fresh turmeric, peeled and shredded or minced
6 large garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup fish sauce
2–3 TBs sambal oelek
4 cups chicken stock (minus 2 TB for the marinade)
¾ cup peanut oil
2 – 10.5 oz Mì Quàng noodles
Chicken Marinade
1 small onion minced
2 TB fish sauce
2 TB chicken stock
1 tsp white sugar
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Toppings
Cilantro
Bean Sprouts
Chopped peanuts
Additional sambal oelek
Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Let marinade at room temperature for 1 hour.
In a large sauce pan, head the peanut oil over medium heat. Wait about 2 minutes until the oil is very hot. Add the garlic, stirring occasionally until it starts to turn golden brown. Add in the turmeric and stir, cooking an additional minute.
Add in the marinated chicken and all of the sauce. Stir together and let sit for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and cover. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.
Prepare the noodles according to the package (NOTE: some noodles require soaking before cooking). When finished cooking, rinse with cool water to stop the noodles from cooking further.
When the chicken has finished cooking, add the fish sauce and sambal oelek. Stir and taste. If it needs more salt, add 1 TB of fish sauce at a time until it reaches your preferred flavor.
Place noodles in a deep bowl. Top with chicken and broth, cilantro, bean sprouts and peanuts. Add additional sambal oelek if you want a but more spice. Mix together and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Keywords: Asian Noodles, Central Vietnamese Noodles, Mì Quàng, Mì Quàng Gà, Vietnamese Noodles, Mi Quang, Mi Quang Ga
