Toyota Feeling — Lifestyle

Cooking with Masterchef's Tommy Pham – Part 1 of 2

Masterchef’s Tommy Pham guides you through a delicious Gà - Vietnamese Chicken Ragu, sure to warm your families’ hearts on a winter getaway.
A close-up shot of Tommy Pham’s Lagu Gà – a Vietnamese Chicken Ragu. Coriander leaves, shallots and thinly diced bird’s-eye chillis garnish the stewed chicken dish.

Winter can be a beautiful time to hire out a holiday rental and get cosy with your loved ones. After a chilly hike or a lovely day lounging inside, you’ll want a hearty dish to really hit the spot. That’s why we’ve partnered with renowned chef, Tommy Pham, to get the lowdown on his favourite mid-winter meal to cook while staying away from home.

Tommy Pham's Lagu Gà - Vietnamese Chicken Ragu

This is a classic example of French-influenced Vietnamese food. Stewed chicken with mushrooms, peas (if you remember to bring them) and potatoes in a rich, flavourful tomato-based sauce – yum! Combine this with crunchy Vietnamese baguettes and you’ve got yourself a winner winner chicken dinner! My little hack for the extra oomph is to switch the baguettes with garlic bread – I know, controversial! But shh… Don’t tell my mum. The crispy edges of garlic bread combined with the garlicky soft bread is like heaven! Serves two adults and two little ones.

Recipe
  • 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 3 medium washed potatoes, peeled and halved
  • 4 chicken thigh cutlets, cut into 4-centimetre pieces
  • 1 brown onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped into 3-centimetre chunks
  • 250 grams Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 litre salt-reduced chicken stock
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 6 Vietnamese baguettes or 3 serves garlic bread
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce

To garnish

  • 4 spring onions (shallots), rinsed, ends trimmed and chopped
  • ¼ lemon
  • 3 bird’s-eye chillies, sliced (parents)

Method:

  1. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large pot over a medium–high heat and add the potatoes. Fry until sealed and golden, then remove the potatoes from the pot and set aside.
  2. In the same pot, add 2 more teaspoons of oil and the chicken pieces. Cook until the meat has lightly browned all over.
  3. Add the garlic and cook until soft.
  4. Add 2 more teaspoons of oil and the onions. Cook until the onions are soft.
  5. Add the tomato paste, stir to coat and cook for 2 minutes.
  6. Add the potatoes, carrot, mushrooms, stock, canned tomatoes and stir to combine. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.
  7. Heat your oven and warm up the baguettes or garlic bread while you finish making the ragu.
  8. Add the peas to the pot and bring it back to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 minutes.
  9. Add the sugar, salt and fish sauce, stirring to evenly distribute the seasoning, then turn off the heat.
  10. Serve your ragu in bowls and top with your favourite garnish, squeeze some lemon over the top and serve with bread on the side. Enjoy!
Australian Masterchef contestant Tommy Pham stands leaning against a dark blue Toyota Kluger, parked on a lawn of freshly-mowed grass. The lawn overlooks a lush misty valley in the Australian bush, with a mountain range in the distance.

Tommy Pham with his Toyota Kluger, an SUV for the family with a taste for adventure.

Tommy's top holiday cooking tips

A recipe is only as good as the preparation, and we have some tips inspired by the man himself, so you aren't caught out at your holiday rental.

  1. Bring your own utensils: Your humble holiday home might not have the sharpest tools, so it's never a bad idea to bring your trusty set from home.
  2. Prepare the essentials: Come as if the place has nothing. Bring your own salt, pepper, oil, and spices. It sure beats a last-minute trip to the shopping centre!
  3. Ask ahead of time: Before you leave home, ask your host for any intricacies or features of their kitchen that you may need to know about.
  4. Get crafty: Shot glasses can be a handy tool for measuring ounces, while some kitchen items, like coffee pots or marked butter sticks, can serve as reliable measuring guides.
  5. Expect the unexpected: Sometimes things don't go as you hope. So, it's always wise to have a backup plan. Trust your skills and don't be afraid to improvise like Tommy did in the recipe above. As long as you and your family are having fun, whatever you cook will taste amazing.

Hungry for more? Stay tuned for the next edition of Toyota Feeling where Tommy Pham ventures into the great outdoors to show us his go-to campfire cooking recipe.

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