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This recipe is an amalgamation of all the delicious Vietnamese style salads I’ve eaten in restaurants over the years. I made it up as I went along until I got to a place where the whole family loved it. The flavours are so fresh and the herbs and lime so zingy making it the perfect meal for summer. I always make it on those really sultry evenings when no one really feels like cooking.
Vietnamese Noodle Salad
Ingredients
- 125g dried rice vermicelli
- 2 medium carrots
- 1/4 white cabbage
- 1 red capsicum (bell pepper)
- Handful snow peas (mange tout)
- Handful mung bean shoots
- Handful roasted salted peanuts
- Small bunch coriander
- Small bunch mint
- A couple sprigs Vietnamese mint
- 1 large lime - 3 tblsp juice
- 21/2 tblsp fish sauce
- 2 tblsp soft brown sugar or grated palm sugar
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- Optional finely minced chilli to taste
- 1 tblsp peanut oil
Instructions
- Place dried rice vermicelli in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 4-5 minutes, separating with tongs as they loosen. Drain and refresh in cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain again and set aside in a colander.
- Peel and grate carrots
- Finely shred cabbage
- Top and tail snow peas and finely slice
- Cut capsicum into long, thin shards
- Wash and drain bean shoots
- Wash and dry Vietnamese mint, mint and coriander and pick leaves
- In a large bowl snip noodles into more manageable lengths with scissors
- Add all prepared vegetables and herbs to bowl and combine thoroughly but gently
- Prepare the dressing by combining lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, peanut oil and minced chilli if using. Whisk in a small bowl or shake together in a screw-top jar
- Dress the salad and toss well
- Top with crushed peanuts
The flavours are so complex that this is a great salad to eat by itself, but I often add a piece of barbequed salmon. Some juicy prawns or tofu could be good additions too.