Just when I think I have “tried it all,” I come across something amazing. Nong’s Khao Man Gai was just that, amazing! Simple but delicious, this is a dish I will try very hard to recreate.
For our 20th anniversary, Scott and I decided to go on our own food cart tour of Portland. Some of the best food we have had in the world came from street/food carts. It’s where we always felt we could get “true” regional cuisine. Portland has over 150 food carts in the area but we visited Nong’s because she made the “Top 10” list. I can see why.
We started out with “brunch” at Nong’s… it was incredible, the chicken was poached to perfection, the rice was delicate and the sauce made the dish sing. If she sold it by the gallon, I would have bought a few. The most rewarding $6.50 I have spent on food in a long time. Read more about Nong below…
The following information is from www.khaomangai.com
WHAT IS NONG’S KHAO MAN GAI?
My name is Nong. It’s my nickname. I’m originally from Bangkok, Thailand. And my food cart serve Khao Man Gai.
WHAT IS KHAO MAN GAI?
It is one of the most popular THAI FOOD that you can find almost everywhere in Thailand especially Bangkok. The original Khao man gai is from Hainan province, China. You can also find it called Hainanese chicken. It is chicken poached traditional cook with whole chicken. Then use the chicken broth to cook the rice with all aroma thai herbs. That’s also the reason to use whole chicken because you want the broth to have the most chicken flavor to cook rice. Serve with the pungent sauce that made from fermented soy bean puree mix with garlic, ginger, thai chilies, vinegar and sugar. Also serve with few vegetable to refresh the meal which is some few pieces of cucumbers and cilantro. In thai style it cannot be complete without the some clear light taste soup to balance everything together also to clean your throat making to meal so enjoyable.
WHY KHAO MAN GAI?
There’s so much good thai food that people haven’t tried. Tourists in Bangkok are always choosing this Khao Man Gai dish so I felt I should bring this here to Portlander’s. The dish is made of rice and chicken at the perfect spice. Good for anybody and it’s delicious.
