Ginger & Lemon Grass Chicken With Rice Vermicelli

Normally when I’m making a meal with grains, I like to stick to one of a few things: brown rice, bulgur, or whole grain pasta. These are staples for me in most meals that I make. I wanted to try something that I haven’t made before, so when I went to the St.Lawrence Market on the weekend, I decided to pick up some rice vermicelli. I’m not sure about the price of this stuff at any supermarket that you’d be able to pick it up from, but at St.Lawrence Market you can get 3 bags {2 1/2 cup servings per bag} for $1 from Ruby’s. {Ruby’s is located on the lower level, and has the largest selection of rice, grains and beans that I’ve ever seen in my life! If you’re looking for rare types of grains, this is your place to find them!} I think that’s a pretty good price, considering that comes out to 6 servings at $0.16 per serving. {Sweet!} While wandering the St.Lawrence Market, I also picked up some ginger root and lemon grass. {I love the smell of that stuff!} So last night, with these wonderful items on hand, I was inspired to create a meal that has a bit of an Asian flare! I used chicken in this meal, but you could easily substitute it for beef, or for tofu if you don’t eat meat.

I only made 1 serving of this as I had gotten home super late from the gym, and Joe had already eaten… {He was so sad once he had a taste, because he really liked it!} So adjust the quantities accordingly! Enjoy!

Ginger & Lemon Grass Chicken With Rice Vermicelli

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast
1 stalk of lemon grass, finely diced {when purchasing lemon grass, look for stalks that have no bruising/brown spots. Look for as much green colour as possible near the tops of the stalks, and pale yellow near the bottom. You also want them to be firm. To prepare lemon grass, you need to remove the outer “woody” layer prior to using. Cut off the bottom 2 inches of the stalk, and the top inch. Finely slice, and chop, the remaining stalk. For a picture tutorial, and more information, click here.}
1 tsp freshly grated ginger {when using fresh ginger, simply break off the amount that you will need, then wrap the rest in a paper towel and place it in a sealed plastic bag in your fridge. You can peel the ginger with a vegetable peeler, but I find that it’s easier to just use a knife. Use the finest holes on a cheese grater to grate the ginger,and you’re good to go!}
2 green onions, finely diced
1 medium orange bell pepper
1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
dash chili pepper
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup rice vermicelli

Method:

In a deep frying pan/wok over medium heat, heat the 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil for about 2 minutes.
Cut the chicken into chunks, and add to the pan.
Add the ginger and lemon grass once the chicken starts to turn from raw to white.
While the chicken is cooking: In a pot, boil water.
Once the water has been brought to a boil, add the 1/2 cup rice vermicelli.
This is important! Only cook the vermicelli in the boiling water for 1 minute! Any longer, and it will become a soggy mess.
Remove the pot from the heat, and drain immediately. Rinse the vermicelli with water to prevent sticking, and set aside.
Check that the chicken no longer has any raw parts inside of it.
Once it is cooked through, add the green onions, orange bell pepper, and dash of chili pepper.
Cook until the chicken starts to brown.
Add the 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil and soy sauce. Stir to coat chicken and bell pepper evenly.
Add the vermicelli to the chicken, and stir a couple of times to coat the vermicelli with the juices in the pan. After about 15 seconds, remove the pan from heat.
Serve immediately.




Filed under: appetizers, dinners, Recipes Tagged: appetizer, chicken, culinary, dinner, ginger, healthy, lemon grass, recipe, rice vermicelli, spice, spicy, st. lawrence market, Toronto, vegetables