Hi & Nyob Zoo All!
Today is a very special video for you all. I just recently came back from my hometown and we received so many packed meals from our relatives. I’ve forgotten how much I’ve missed eating this. Why is it so good? It’s all about Love.
In the Hmong culture, packing food for your relatives from afar is a way to show your respects & love. Traveling anywhere in particular (solo or with family), is also when you’ll see packed meals being made. The fun part is that sometimes the lunches are different depending on who makes it. Sometimes you’ll get a packet of smoked beef with rice, bbq chicken, rice with bacon, beef jerky, and the list goes on. If there’s rice, pepper, and some type of protein, the meal is complete. Oh and don’t forget water! ?
I’m always happy when I receive a packed meal like this. And I’m always happy to give in return. So learning how and knowing what to pack should be on your to do list because food is loveeee. So I hope you all treat your loved ones with this meal and make it for them. As always, happy cooking! 🙂
-Cindy Her
Main Ingredients
Brown Hens
What to choose: The most sustainable & environmental friendly way to source whole brown hens is to raise your own. Like my dad, who still raises chickens. He will butcher his hens, cook it, and pack it for our relatives. Home grown-farm raised chickens are best to use because the meat is much leaner but super rich in flavor since they’ve been well taken care of. If you can source any local farm raised brown hens, I highly recommend it. If you can’t, by all means, you can buy frozen brown range chicken from your local asian grocery store. It will be located in the freezer section or in the fridge at the meat section.
[Below] This chicken was raised by my dad. It is a young rooster. You can tell from the skin, it doesn’t have layers of fat. It’s mostly meat. Full of flavor. The only downside is that the meat is a little more tough to eat. So it needs a longer cooking time to tenderize it.
My dads farm raised chicken
[Below] These are brown range chickens bought from our local Asian market. You can tell the skin is a little more loose and not as meaty but the flavor is still great. This chicken is also a lot more tender compared to the ones my dad raise.
In the Hmong culture, cooking the chicken from head to the feet is a way to pay your respects. As a courtesy, we will be cooking it all. If you don’t like to see or eat it, by all means remove it.
Silkie chicken and a brown range chicken
Cooking Method: Poaching
We like to poach the chicken in salt water and lemongrass. Let it cool completely before wrapping
The rice
The most common rice to pack is sticky rice since it’s convenient, easy to eat & pack. We like to use short grain sticky rice since it stays soft while sitting in room temp the longer it travel. Long grain works great too but they do get a little harder in texture the longer they travel. Regular steamed rice such as Jasmine rice and short grain rice can also be packed as long as there’s rice! 🙂
The steamer to cook the sticky rice.
Condiments
Pepper dip: Pepper dip is a must! The Hmong people love their pepper. It brings the meal to another level.
Salt and pepper: Salt and pepper is pack separately for those wanting to season or dip the chicken in
Wrapping/Packing
Banana leaves: The most traditional and environmental friendly way of wrapping a packed lunch. Also super classy!
Modernize way of packing: Poached chicken wrapped in foil, sticky rice wrapped in plastic bags, spoons/utensils/napkins are places in a zip lock bag.
One of our relative packed this meal for us. Also a farm raised chicken
Enjoy!
Hmong style packed meals are usually eaten during resting time. If you’re traveling somewhere with your family, you would typically eat this meal at a rest stop. If you’re traveling on an airplane, sometimes you can eat it during a layover or just bring it with you all the way home and eat it at home. It’s really up to you! The best way to eat it is with your hands and with good company. It’s all about the love! That’s why this meal is so delicious 🙂
Happy Eating!
-Cindy Her [C.HerCreations]
Ingredients
- ---POACHED CHICKEN---
- 1 whole brown range chicken (cleaned, cut and poked)
- 2 gallon water
- 2-3 tbsp salt
- 1 lemon grass (smashed)
- ---STICKY RICE---
- 6 rice cups short grain glutinous rice
- Water to soak and steam
- ---PEPPER DIP---
- 1 garlic clove
- 12-15 frozen chili pepper
- 1/2-1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp mushroom seasoning or msg
- Optional: Fish sauce to taste
- ---OTHER---
- Salt and pepper
- Water bottles
- Napkins/utensils
- Snacks
Instructions
Short Grain Sticky Rice
Place 6 rice cups of short grain glutinous rice in a bowl. Rinse 3 times. Drain the water and add in hot tap water with 2 inches overhead to soak for at least 3 hrs. After 3 hrs, drain the soaking water and place the rice into the bamboo steam over boiling water. Cover and allow it to steam for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, flip the rice over and then pour cold water over and mix well. Cover and let it steam for another 5 more minutes or until the rice is tender but still chewy. Remove and pour the rice onto a plate to release excess steam. Once cooled, wrap in banana leaves or individually in zip lock bags.
Poached Chicken
Clean and wash the chicken well. For faster cooking, cut the breast bone part in half. Poke holes through the wing drumette joints to release excess blood and to allow even cooking.
In a pot, add the water, the chicken, and salt. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes add in the lemongrass (lemongrass removes the chicken smell). Cover and let it cook for another 10-15 more minutes or until the thickest part no longer has blood oozing out (total cooking time will vary on the size of your chicken). Remove the chicken onto a clean bowl and let it cool. Cool completely before wrapping. Reserve the broth for other usage (soup, rice, etc).
Pepper Dip
In a mortar and pestle, add in the garlic clove, chili pepper, salt, and mushroom seasoning. Pound. That's it! You can add fish sauce for extra umami but since it's going to be packed for traveling we will opt out and keep it pretty simple. We don't want the trip to smell like fermented anchovy 😉
Packing
Pack the chicken in foil or banana leaves. Pack the rice individually in plastic bag or as a whole in banana leaves. Pack the condiments in foil, bags, or banana leaves. Don't forget to pack water, utensils, and snacks! Place everything in a reusable bag or brown paper bag and give it to your loved ones! Enjoy!
Notes
You can make other rice as well. Steamed rice will work. Bbq meat is another option to pack if you don't like poached chicken. Be adventurous and pack other items! The more variety the better.
