I eat Thanksgiving dishes once, maybe two times per year and make the most of it. Still, with piles of leftovers, I can only make a Thanksgiving plate so many times. My side of the family had an early Thanksgiving before the one we host at our home with my husband’s family, so today would have been day four of Thanksgiving on repeat. No thanks.
My daughter and I are also a little under the weather, so I decided to make a pot of turkey cháo, Vietnamese rice porridge. My mother in law calls turkey gà lôi, or a “dragging chicken”. As in, a chicken too big to carry, so instead, drag.
Whatever you call it, turkey cháo is delicious.
Turkey Rice Porridge
Cháo gà lôi
Serves 4 as a light meal. Best with a goi, salad, for a heartier meal.
- 1 quart chicken stock + 2 quarts water
- 1.5 cups uncooked rice
- 1-2″ knob ginger, minced
- 2 stalks green onions
- 3 tbs fish sauce
- 2 tbs sugar
- 2 cups leftover turkey
I had some leftover chicken stock from Thanksgiving, but you can use chicken broth or water and chicken bullion. You get the idea. Add the liquid to a stock pot and add minced ginger, white parts of the onion, fish sauce and sugar to bring to a simmer.
If you have leftover bones from the turkey, go ahead and toss those in as well. We smoke our turkey, so I added two chicken wings with the skin. It added a nice flavor to the soup you don’t get the rest of the year.
When the broth comes to a boil, add the rice and reduce to low, continue cooking for approximately 30 minutes until the rice is tender.
Dice or shred the leftover turkey — white or dark meat, your choice — and add to the soup a give minutes before serving to warm thoroughly.
Ladle into a bowl and serve with the usual toppings to taste — sliced green onions, black pepper, fried shallots, lime, chili garlic sauce, cilantro. Whatever you like.
Enjoy!
Learning Vietnam 
We usually do this after we have an occasion at home. We either reheat the food that we prepare for the party or just use the leftovers for another recipe.