Chicken and Asparagus with Hollandaise and a Green Papaya Salad

I boned the breasts and put the skins in a pan to crisp up for the dogs. The meat I seasoned with salt, onion powder and poultry seasoning, sprayed with olive oil and put it on the BBQ. I wanted the BBQ on high for the first couple of minutes but forgot to turn it down so the seasoning on the outside tended to scorch. It tasted good but would have been better cooked slower. The rice was done in the microwave with salt, olive oil and lemon juice. Not enough lemon to taste, just a little acid to heighten the flavour. Done this way the rice tastes good on it's own, it doesn't need soy sauce to bring it to life.

I steamed the asparagus and served with:

Quick Easy Microwave Hollandaise Sauce

1 egg yolk

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp water

salt

1/4 cup butter

Melt the butter but don't get it hot. If the butter is hot it will cook the egg and you'll get scrambled eggs. In a glass bowl slowly whisk the melted butter into the yolk just like making mayonnaise. Also, just like mayonnaise, if butter is added too much at a time, the sauce will break. When all the butter is taken up whisk in some lemon juice, water and salt. At this point it should be thin so it can thicken as it cooks. Warm it up on high in the microwave for 20 seconds till it starts to thicken. Have a taste. It probably needs more lemon and will take more water in minute. Keep putting it back in the microwave for ten seconds at a time, taking it out to whisk then back in and repeat till it's cooked. It takes about two minutes over all.

Green Papaya Salad

1/3 cup chopped roasted unsalted peanuts or cashews (I used cashews)

1/2 cup chopped coriander (cilantro) or mint (I used chocolate mint) 

1 green papaya

3 green onions or 1/2 a red onion

optional:

3 or 4 green beans ( I used four)

1 cup glass noodles - left out

1 choko (a type of squash) - left out

jicama - left out

Dressing

2 tbsp lime juice

4 tsp fish sauce

1/4 tsp hot sauce or fresh jalapeno (I used jalapeno)

The chicken was a bit scorched but still juicy inside and tasted good. The rice is wonderful with a hint of acid from the lemon. The Hollandaise was perfect. The asparagus was almost overcooked but I got it just in time. 

The green papaya salad was good but not terrific. Patty Bowes, chef Dave's wife from the Laughing Oyster, brought me this recipe from their recent trip through Vietnam. I'll bet the version they tasted was a lot better than mine. That's why I don't try recipes for foods I'm unfamiliar with, I haven't got a clue what it SHOULD taste like, so I don't know what to do to improve the flavour.