Nong's Khao Man Gai

Wait, didn't I just post about Nong's Khao Man Gai earlier this year?  Yep, that is true, we paid Portland a visit in March and made our way to the SE Ankeny location.  Food was great, served in large portions and was reasonably-priced.  A good recipe for success and in fact, they have been very successful with their food truck in the past.  I've enjoyed their chicken rice with "crack" sauce since this blog began.  So I was not about to pass up another opportunity to dine there again.

Although I will talk about some other dishes in this post, I can't help but start with their namesake in the Khao Man Gai Piset.  This was the larger version of their signature dish with more chicken, rice and sauce.  Although the chicken itself is tender and moist, the ginger garlic sauce is what makes this dish.  So addictive, the combination of sweetness, tanginess and aromatics could make shoe leather taste good.  The chicken rice was nutty and al dente which was perfect for the chicken and sauce.  Loved they included the chicken livers too.

Sure, the chicken rice here at Nong's is really good with all of the components being on point.  However, I'm going to say something controversial - the Super Soup is my favorite thing here.  It is essentially the chicken soup that comes with the chicken rice, but served in a large bowl with the chicken and rice in it.  It becomes a super hearty and comforting dish with sweet soup, tender melon, chewy rice and tender chicken.  I could eat multiple bowls of this!

If you aren't into the chicken, they do have an alternative in the Khao Kha Muu or Thai Pork with rice, pickled mustard greens, gai lan and boiled egg.  Really enjoyed this dish as the fatty pork did not require much in the way of chewing.  Even the fat was easy going down.  It benefitted from the sweet and savory soy braise as well as the tanginess of the mustard greens.  Combined with some spicy sauce, this was delicious.

One item that is not on the regular menu is the Noodle Bitter Melon with chicken wings, bitter melon, shredded chicken breast, gai lan, bean sprout, shiitake mushroom, daikon radish, rice noodles and goji berries.  To me, this had some duck soup vibes even though there was not duck to be found.  It had depth, sweetness and just a tinge of bitterness from the melon.  Noodles were thin and soaked up all of the delicious broth.  There was no shortage of meat with tender wings and shredded chicken.  A comforting bowl of noodles for a cold day.

For those who want something different than the classic chicken rice, there is also the Chicken, Rice & Peanut Sauce with a side of boiled broccoli.  This came with plain white rice rather than the chicken rice.  Good thing because the peanut sauce was pretty dominant with its nutty sweetness.  There was some salt to balance and further enhance the peanut flavor.  Reminds me of the Chinese hand-shredded chicken with peanut sauce but with much more sauce!  Every time I have this dish at Nong's I find it heavy and hence, I can eat only half of it.

To go with our food, we also ordered 2 drinks in the Ginger Lemonade and Thai Tea Float.  Refreshing, tangy and plenty gingery, the ginger lemonade really helped keep our appetites going despite being full.  As for the float, it was addictively sweet and creamy.  Great option for those who like Thai iced tea but want some creamy soft-serve with it.  Overall, this was another great visit to Nong's.  The food isn't complex here but it doesn't have to be.  It is comforting, served in large portions and affordable.  Perfect trifecta!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Inexpensive

- Homey and delicious food

- Large portions

The Bad:

- Seating is tight here and limited (although there is overflow next door)

- Simple menu, but you know what you're here for...