Known as Thai street food, Khao Man Gai is plentiful in Thailand and is based on a Hainanese (Hainan is an island off the coast of China) dish made similarly of boiled chicken, rice and broth. But what sets the Thai version apart is the spicy fermented soybean sauce, which is not too hot but full of vibrant flavor. Served with cooling, sliced cucumber, topped with cilantro and accompanied by a fortifying cup of deeply-stewed chicken stock with floating greens, this comforting dish will have you hooked. The Thai version, by adding the sauce, allows the many layers of flavors reveal themselves in such a way that once you’ve tried it, you will find yourself craving it intermittently for days afterward. As an added bonus, this dish, laden with broth, ginger, garlic and watercress is extremely good for the immune system and  a welcome comfort to an aching body.

From “Nong’s Khao Man Gai”

Here in Portland, I was first introduced to this cleansing dish by the downtown food cart “Nong’s Khao Man Gai” (featured in my Top Ten Food Carts series.) Nong’s makes only one dish, no variations (unless extra chicken counts) – just one divinely delish dish called Khao Man Gai. It takes a lot of guts or confidence to open a cart that makes just one dish but Nong’s pulls it off brilliantly.

The only problem – that one dish is SO good that people line up at 10am to get their hands on this comforting fare and often, Nong’s is sold-out by 11:30am (just as the lunch bug is starting to bite.) As a fan (and nearly an addict of this dish), and after missing my chance several times in a row, I finally became desperate enough to explore the origins and variations of this dish.

While the city I live in offers me a wide array of purveyors (from local Asian grocers like Thanh Thao Market to larger chains like Uwajimaya) where I can pick up authentic Thai ingredients, I like this dish enough to want to play around with a quicker and easier version. A version that anyone could make with ingredients found at any commercial grocer.

This is not to say that I don’t notice the difference when the dish is made from freshly stewed chicken stock, or Thai red chilis or yellow bean paste but as a busy full-time, working mom, I don’t always have the time to run to specialty markets or to cook broth for hours. Thus, “Quick n’ Dirty Khao Man Gai” was born. Faithful followers of this dish, may too, be able to pick out the subtle differences but it’s a close enough approximation that it’s satiates my longing and has my hubby happily asking for more, even after eating it three times in the last two weeks. The sauce itself is so freshly flavored and taste bud stimulating, that I plan to top salmon and bok choy with it tonight.

Enjoy! And send me your variations.

Down n’ Dirty Khao Man Gai

Makes 4 hearty servings

Pairs well with Hitachino Nest White Ale: Citrus notes compliment the ginger in this dish.

All ingredients readily available in meat, produce and Chinese/ethnic aisle at most grocers.

Sauce

• 2 (3 to 4 inch-long) fresh jalapeno or serrano chiles
• 1 large shallot
• 2 inches of peeled fresh ginger
• 3 medium garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp Sun Luck black bean garlic sauce

Depending on the heat you want in your dish, remove all or some of the seeds from your peppers (and stems, of course.) I remove all seeds and cut into four pieces each and add to the food processor. Smash garlic with mallet or butcher knife to remove skin and release flavor — add to processor. Remove skin from shallot, add to processor. squeeze 1/3 cup lime juice and add to processor, along with salt. Pulse until all ingredients are minced. Add fish sauce, vinegar, black bean and garlic sauce to processor and pulse until mixed. Taste and adjust seasoning (spicier, more stringent or salty) to your taste. Remember the sauce’s flavor, like salsa will develop even more as it sits. Since the sauce’s ingredients, should be your first prep (though you can wait to pulse them til closer to completion) you’ll need to watch timing if you prefer a milder flavor (or reduce ginger, garlic and chile ingredients). If you would like to keep the sauce from getting too spicy, refrigerate until serving.

Soup

• 1 cup of freshly made broth from boiling chicken
• 3 cups chicken broth (I prefer low sodium, organic versions)
• 2 cups veggie broth (I prefer low sodium, organic versions)
• 1 bunch of watercress (remove stems)

Once chicken is done, remove from water and set aside. Since we are trying to cut overall cooking time, I cheat on the soup a bit by skimming the top of the broth from the freshly cooked chicken (it has the most fat and therefore the most flavor) and adding store bought stock, a mix of veggie and chicken broths to add depth of flavor. pour them all into a sauce pan and bring to a boil adding the watercress and allowing to boil just until leaves get bright green. Then shut off the heat and let sit while plating the rest of the dish. Serve in small bowls that you can easily drink from with pieces of watercress floating inside.