August 7, 2026
Friday happy hour at #vanaprastha, inside on a muggy, thundery evening. Vietnamese Chicken Stir Fry with Prince Michel Viognier and garden cucumber in vinegar, salt and pepper. Mac and Lark love cucumber, really almost anything. Stories and recipe tomorrow on my Substack.
Not complaining about the muggy conditions due to significant and much-needed rain. Just an explanation for last night’s inside location. Not going to whine about the burst of weeds either. Loving the greenery around here and the blue-tailed skinks, cicadas, katydids, lightning bugs, butterflies and moths. Fewer spotted lanternflies this year, though they’re pretty, too, and the night peepers are back. Go nature!
Last night, I made good on June 26th’s “next time” for Vietnamese stir fry. Chicken instead of pork. Two thumbs up. The sauce is similar to teriyaki. Cooking noodles then broccoli separately, adding to the stir fry at the end, made the texture of everything come out just right. A quick, easy, healthy meal. Next time, beef or shrimp.
Vietnamese Chicken Stir Fry, Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
4 garlic cloves crushed
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons reduced salt soy sauce
3 teaspoons ground ginger
3 tablespoons water
1-pound chicken breast, thinly sliced - original recipe called for 3/4-pound
4 cups broccoli florets
4 ounces thin dried rice noodles—I used medium-sized Thai noodles.
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 cup sliced onion
Directions:
Combine garlic, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and 2 tablespoons water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook 5 minutes or until sugar is melted. Remove from heat and add chicken to sauce and let sit for 5 minutes turning the meat over 2 or 3 times.
Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan 3/4 full of water to a boil and add the rice noodles. Boil for 3 minutes add the broccoli to the water for 1 minute. (I added about 30 seconds to both the noodle cooking and broccoli to accommodate their larger size.) Drain.
Heat oil in a wok or large frying over high heat. Add the onion and sauté 2 minutes. Add the chicken with the sauce. Cook tossing the chicken with the onion for 2 minutes. Add the broccoli and rice noodles. Toss all the ingredients together for 2 to 3 minutes and serve.
That’s it for today. See you next week! -C.D.
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carole.duff2010/
Follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carole.duff.94/
Subscribe to my weekly blog, Notes from Vanaprastha:
Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for Notes from Vanaprastha Podcasts: https://www.youtube.com/@CaroleDuff