A recipe for Gà Rô Ti: Grilled spatchcock, Vietnamese style
Thi Le shares a personal iteration of a classic Vietnamese dish from new cookbook Viet Kieu.
Roasted chicken is a simple joy. When I first considered starting my own business, I intended to open a chicken rotisserie – something I could manage on a small scale, with really delicious roast chickens. I was only deterred by the difficulty of acquiring an inexpensive rotisserie. The irony of gà rô ti is that the chicken is actually panfried, not roasted. The name is borrowed from the French poulet rôti, but households in Vietnam did not traditionally own an oven. (This deficit is the reason flans in Vietnam have typically been steamed rather than baked.) I like using a spatchcock for this dish. In this instance, spatchcock refers to both the noun, a younger bird, and the verb, with the bird splayed out flat.
GÀ RÔ TI RECIPE
Serves 1–2
1 × 400g spatchcock (Cornish game hen)
Marinade
100g red Asian shallots
20g fresh ginger
20g fresh turmeric
20g (¾ oz) garlic cloves
30ml fish sauce
30ml light soy sauce
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp raw sugar
1 tsp cracked white pepper
1 tsp Chinese five spice
1 tsp măc khén or native Australian pepper
To serve
Glutinous (sticky) rice
Vegetable pickle (see below)
Châm chéo (see below)
Prepare the spatchcock.
Pat the spatchcock dry with paper towel.
Place the bird, breast side down, on a chopping board, with the neck facing towards you.
Using a pair of kitchen scissors, split the spatchcock into two pieces, down the breastplate and backbone.
Marinate the spatchcock.
Peel the shallots, ginger, turmeric and garlic cloves and roughly chop.
Place in a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl, add the remaining marinade ingredients and mix together well.
Add the spatchcock, gently tossing to coat. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 4–6 hours.
Cook the spatchcock.
Start a barbecue. While bringing the grill up to medium heat, I like to smoke my meats for 20–25 minutes to impart a smoky flavour. After smoking, the bird's skin starts to dry and show a light amber colour.
When the spatchcock is smoked and the barbecue is at medium heat, grill for 8–10 minutes, flipping the spatchcock to ensure even cooking on the surface. Probe the meat to check it is done – it should reach 76°C (169°F) at its thickest part.
Rest for 20 minutes before serving with the sticky rice, vegetable pickle and chẩm chéo.
VEGETABLE PICKLE
Makes 1 × 900ml jar
150g carrot
150g daikon (white radish)
150g kohlrabi
100g red Asian shallots
3 Tbsp table salt
400ml rice vinegar
210g granulated white sugar
2½ tsp sea salt
1½ tsp black peppercorns, toasted and coarsely cracked
A basic vegetable pickle for use with nước chấm (page 34) or to accompany a cuốn platter or part of a meal.
Peel the carrot, daikon, kohlrabi and shallots, then slice them about 3 mm (⅛ inch) thick. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with the table salt and leave to sit for 30 minutes.
Wash the vegetables to remove the excess salt. Shake them dry and place in a large sterilised jar.
Place the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar and salt. Pour the pickling liquor over the vegetables.
Leave to stand overnight with the lid ajar. The pickles can be eaten the next day, but are best eaten after 3–4 days. After this time, seal the lid on the jar and keep in the fridge, where your pickles will last for up to 6 months.
CHM CHÉO (GREEN CHILLI & MẮC KHÉN RELISH)
Makes 100g
3 green scud chillies, roughly chopped
1 red bird's eye chilli, roughly chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp mắc khén or mountain peppercorns
3 garlic cloves, peeled
30g young tender lemongrass
30g coriander (cilantro) leaves, roughly chopped
30g calamansi juice or lime juice
In a mortar and pestle, pound the chillies with the salt, mắc khén and garlic until smooth.
Add the lemongrass and pound, then incorporate the coriander.
Add the calamansi juice, to taste. It should be peppery, a little spicy, citrusy and seasoned.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
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