Finally, after three quarters of  ‘catering’ food for the girls, EK actually made a real contribution this week. He grilled the chicken! And he was very proud that the chicken was grilled to perfection. Seriously, I wouldn’t have survived three quarters of mass cooking every weekend without him manning the cleaning department. The proof is in all the utensils that are washed and laid out to dry after every cooking exercise.

This Vietnamese vermicelli is prepared at Ashley’s request. She said just cut the vegetables and serve them fresh, uncooked. I thought that should be easy enough, but it still took me a good half day to cut all the ingredients, marinade the meat, and prepare the sauce.

The above snapshot only captured half the story of our weekly battle with kitchen utensils … the other half has been washed, dried, and put away…

I think the result came close to the real deal you get from a Vietnamese noodle shop, and EK will tell you the best part is the grilled chicken!

• Prep Time: 2 hours (most of my time went into picking bean sprouts as always)
• Cook Time: 30 minutes (grill the chicken over medium heat)
• Serves: 5

Ingredients

Grilled Chicken

• 5 boneless, skinless chicken thigh
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 stalks lemon grass (white part only), lightly bruised and sliced

Noodle Bowl

• 4 cups bean sprouts, roots picked, washed and spinned dry in a salad spinner
• 2 cups English cucumber, seeded and julienned
• 2 cups carrots, julienned
• 4 cups iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and julienned
• 1 jalapeño, sliced
• 1/2 packet Vietnamese rice noodle, cooked according to package instructions
• Big bunch of mint leaves, washed and spinned dry
• Cilantro for garnish
• Ground peanuts for garnish
• Lime wedges to serve

Sauce

• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 4 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 rounded tsp minced garlic
• 2 red bird eye chilli, seeded and minced
• 3 Tbsp lime juice

Directions

1. Marinade chicken and chill in refrigerator overnight.
2. Prepare sauce. Mix all ingredients in a glass bowl and keep refrigerated until ready to use.
3. Cut all vegetables for noodle bowl and set aside.
4. Cook vermicelli according to package instructions. Rinse with cool water and drain well. Set aside.
5. Grill chicken over a gas or charcoal grill until lightly charred on the edges.
6. When ready to serve, place one serving of noodles in a large bowl. Top with grilled chicken and vegetables. Garnish with cilantro, lime wedges and ground peanuts.
7. Pour a quarter cup of sauce over it. Toss until well combined.