Meet the Chef

Chef Jon Nguyen’s culinary career has been global and studded with stars, from his culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, to his native Vietnam, to working under Tien Ho (formerly of Momofuku Ssam Bar), to working at Danny Meyer’s two-Michelin-starred restaurant, The Modern. But, it was his grandfather who advised him to open a banh mi shop over twenty years ago, which inspired Chef Jon’s current culinary venture: Tran An.

Chef Jon Nguyen of Tran An
Chef Jon Nguyen

Watch the Class:

Full Recipe:

Turkey Fried Rice

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 2 1/2 cups white rice
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 small bag of frozen mixed vegetables (corn, carrots, peas)
  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 of a red onion
  • 1 tablespoon of black pepper
  • 2 bunches of scallions
  • 4 tablespoons of white vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons of honey
  • 4 tablespoons of fish sauce
  • 4oz of sour cream
  • 4oz of grapeseed oil (or any neutral oil)
  • Crispy fried shallots (for garnish)
  • Sambal (optional)
  • Sesame oil (optional)
  • Pickled chilies (optional)

Instructions

Cook the Turkey Ragu

  1. In a hot skillet, pour in oil
  2. Once oil starts smoking, gently place turkey in pan
  3. Let meat brown and stick to the bottom of the pan, then add garlic and onions (add a bit of water if needed to deglaze pan)
  4. Once onions turn translucent, add in frozen veggies and the rest of the seasonings
  5. Once most of the water is cooked out and the meat is dark brown, it’s done
  6. OFF THE HEAT, add chopped scallions to mixture and mix in well

Prepare the Rice

  1. Using a small pot with a lid, measure 5 cups cold water and add the rice.
  2. Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer. Cook covered for circa 20 minutes.
  3. Remove the rice from the heat and fluff lightly with a fork.

Alternatively, fill a rice cooker with 5 cups of water and mix with the rice. Set it to start and cook until finished.

Prepare the Fried Egg Sauce

  1. In a nonstick skillet, cook eggs sunny side up (if yolks break, its ok!)
  2. Add eggs to a blender with sour cream
  3. Blend mixture till smooth and salt to taste

Let’s Put it Together/To Serve:

  1. Add turkey ragu into skillet (medium heat) and let sweat out
  2. Add rice to meat mixture
  3. Add vinegar to loosen up rice
  4. Mix well and don’t let rice stick to bottom of the pan (add more oil if necessary)
  5. Add salt to adjust taste
  6. Add egg sauce to serve and top with crispy shallots

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