Once upon a time…long ago, a little American girl packed up with her family and moved to Southeast Asia. As you might imagine this was quite an adventure!  It was filled with new smells, tastes, sounds, colors and many more things the girl had never experienced before.

The open markets in Asia remind me of the farmer’s markets here, only on steroids.  They’re bustling with hundreds of people selling, waving hands, yelling and negotiating prices for fresh vegetables, herbs, spices and much more! It was a beautiful thing!  My love for these new tastes and experiences was forever sealed.  I pretty much love all Asian styles of cooking now.

This recipe is a light salad, reminiscent of Vietnamese and Cambodian cooking.  The Nước chấm Sauce is modified to make it a little less fishy for my kids…and they LOVE it.  I also added olive oil for body and omitted the commonly used garlic and red chilies.  This makes for a very fresh salad taste that your whole family will love.

The Savoy Cabbage in this dish is a sweet, tender, light and crinkly cabbage.  Savoy is high in vitamin K, vitamin C, and fiber.  It’s also a very good source of fiber, manganese, folate, vitamin B6, potassium, and omega-3 fatty acids.  If you have trouble finding it at your market you can also use Chinese cabbage, or a mixture of romaine and iceberg lettuce cut into very thin slices.

A word about the fish sauce… it is important to buy a good fish sauce that is from the first pressing, with no added fillers, colors or chemicals. “Red Boat Fish Sauce” is a great fish sauce and is free of additives and sugar.

Vietnamese Style Chicken & Cabbage Salad

Serves 4 (225-200g per serving)

Ingredients:

2 raw, boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 10 ounces)
1 medium head, Savoy Cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded (about 5 cups)
1 cup julienned carrots (omit for keto)*
4-5 scallions (spring onions), thinly sliced longways
1/4 cup Mint leaves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup Basil leaves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup Cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Nước chấm Inspired Salad Dressing

1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 red seeded chili, chopped (optional)

MACROS: Without carrots (at 200g a serving) 187 calories/10g fat/3.2 net carb/17g protein

Method:

Cook the chicken however you like or use already cooked rotisserie. I like to boil the chicken in simmering water till cooked through to 160 degrees F. Then I let them rest for 10 minutes and sear the outside.  Cool a bit then slice or shred with a fork.

Thinly slice or shred the cabbage, carrots, and spring onion tops(the green parts) into long strips, then roughly chop the herbs and place all the above ingredients into a large bowl.

In a separate bowl or mason jar, measure out all the dressing ingredients. Shake or mix well.

Pour the Dressing over the salad, toss and serve with Sriracha or other chili sauce. Play with the salad dressing ratios to suit your taste.