Bi Chay – Vietnamese Potato and Jicama Salad in Roasted Rice Powder

Posted by nutrition to kitchen on June 8, 2010 · 9 Comments 

I really like vegetarian food.  I’m a big proponent of “Meatless Mondays” being any day of the week, and my husband and I often scout out popular vegetarian restaurants during vacations for a cleansing break during a week of splurge.  Though I myself am not vegetarian, I like to adopt a “flexitarian” type of lifestyle that is heavy in vegetables, fruits, legumes, tofu, and grains.  These foods, to me, are packed in nutrition and flavor, so why not maximize their potential and play with new recipes and ideas?

A diet high in produce has several health benefits as well.  High intakes of red and processed meats have been associated with colon cancer and increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.  Diets high in fruits and veggies may reduce one’s risk of developing cancer and other cardiovascular conditions.  Eating more produce means you’ll get fuller faster because of increased fiber intake, and can help with weight management efforts.

P and I are moving to Houston soon, so right now we’re spending some time with both our families before we set out on our next move.  Since I’ve no kitchen of my own to work in during this transition, I’ve borrowed kitchens, hosted an old college roommate cook-along (imagine ten of us in one kitchen…madness!), and spent lots of time cooking with my mom and mother-in-law.  The last recipe I posted was com ga, one of the many dishes my mom cooks so well.  This post, I’m going to write about my mother-in-law’s bi chay.  Bi (the non-vegetarian kind) is basically shredded pork in roasted rice powder that is served as a combination rice plate in restaurants, often alongside a grilled pork chop, fried egg, etcetera.  I prefer the vegetarian version more, which can be made a variety of ways, with julienned fried tofu, bean thread noodles, jicama, and fried potatoes.  This version utilizes two types of potatoes and jicama, and is just fantastic.

Roasted rice powder (above), with the powder packet (below)

There are endless ways you can eat this.  You can roll it up in spring rolls with some lettuce, mint, perilla (tia to), cucumber, and other veggies.  You can fry up an egg and eat it with a side of rice.  You can also add some tofu to it, and make a baguette sandwich (banh mi) by adding picked carrot and daikon, as well as cilantro to the mix.  When I’m super-hungry in the morning (and lazy), I’ll just stuff a pita pocket with the bi chay and eat it for breakfast.

I know what you’re thinking.  Nutrition to Kitchen, frying potatoes? My mother-in-law and I experimented a couple ways to make this, and found that frying the potatoes in a larger amount of oil lent itself to a crispier potato.  Too little oil and the end product tasted greasy, possibly because there was still water in the potatoes .  I used about 1/4 cup of canola oil to fry all the potatoes and there was still a good amount of oil left in the pan when I was through (also note, this recipe yield approximately 10 servings).  By quick-frying small batches at high heat, you can decrease the amount of time the potatoes have to soak up the oil.  Make sure you squeeze out as much water from the jicama as possible, and do not over mix the end product.

Bi Chay – Vietnamese Potato and Jicama Salad in Roasted Rice Powder

serves about 10

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and ready to grate

3 small white potatoes, peeled and ready to grate

1/4 cup canola oil, for frying

1 large jicama, peeled, grated

2 bags (3 oz each bag) roasted rice powder (aka Saigon thinh in Vietnamese)

2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

5 cloves garlic, minced fine

Preparation:

1.  Place the peeled potatoes in water for about 5 minutes.

2.  In a small frying pan (about 6-8″ diameter), heat the oil over high heat.  Working in small batches, grate about 1/2 cup of potato at a time (to prevent browning of potatoes left out for a long time).  Test the oil if it’s hot enough before sprinkling the grated potatoes in the oil, by  placing one strand of potato in the oil (it should immediately bubble and fry – if it doesn’t, it’s not hot enough).  Quick-fry the potatoes, about 1 minute on each side or until golden brown.  Flip over and repeat, then drain over paper towels.  Continue until all potatoes are fried, and allow to drain a couple times on a few layers of paper towels.

Small pan, high heat, small batches of potatoes = quick-fry!

3.  Place the grated jicama in a dishtowel, and squeeze out excess water until dry.  Spread out the jicama in a shallow colander and allow to air dry for about 20-30 minutes to evaporate excess moisture.

4.  In a large bowl, combine the fried potato strands and jicama.  Add the roasted rice powder, salt, sugar, and black pepper.  Toss all ingredients together with your hands or chopsticks, and don’t overwork it with a whisk or a spoon because you may make it too “mushy.”  At the end, add the garlic and toss a few times to combine all ingredients.

Filed under salads, vegetarian · Tagged with jicama, potatoes, vegetarian, Vietnamese