Vietnamese Noodle Salad

 

Noodle Salad

This is a great, fresh salad with a fantastic Vietnamese dressing based on a recipe by Bill Granger, a famous Australia chef. I really like this dressing because it's got plenty of flavour but the fish sauce is mild in it. I love Nuoc Cham, which is the classic Vietnamese dipping sauce that doubles as dressings. But some people find that the fish sauce flavour is too strong. Plus, it's an art form to get the flavour balance right!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Modern Vietnamese

 

Servings: 2 - 3

 

Calories: 273cal

 

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

Garlic Shrimp (Prawns)

• 12 - 15 medium shrimp (prawns), shelled and deveined (about 5 - 7 oz / 150 - 200g, excluding shells)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Dressing

• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 large garlic clove , very finely chopped
• 1 tsp very finely chopped red chili , adjust to taste (I use birds eye which is spicy)

Salad

• 2.5 oz / 75g dried rice vermicelli noodles (Note 1)
• 3 cups iceberg lettuce , shredded
• 1 cup carrot , cut into fine matchsticks
• 1 1/2 cups cucumber , cut into matchsticks
• 1 1/2 cups beansprouts
• 1/4 cup coriander leaves , lightly packed
• 1/4 cup mint leaves (ordinary or Vietnamese), lightly packed

Instructions

• Combine the Garlic Shrimp ingredients in a small bowl and set aside for 10 minutes.
• Combine the Dressing ingredients in a small jar, give it a shake then set aside for 10 minutes.
• Heat a skillet / fry pan over high heat. Add the shrimp, scraping in the olive oil and garlic from the sides of the bowl. Cook for 2 minutes, or until browned and the shrimp is just cooked through. (Note 2)
• Remove the prawns from the skillet onto a plate.
• Prepare the vermicelli noodles according to the packet directions. I like to just soak them in hot tap water for a few minutes, this ensures they don't overcook. Then drain the noodles.
• Arrange the noodles and remaining Salad ingredients on a large plate (like the photo) or toss together in a bowl. Top with prawns (warm or at room temperature). Drizzle over the Dressing (or toss through), or you can serve the Dressing on the side.
• Serve immediately.

Notes

1. You can use any type of vermicelli noodles in this, rice or bean. The bean ones are slightly more see through. You can also increase the quantity if you want, to fill it out more.

2. How to tell if prawns are cooked: raw prawns hang almost straight, perfectly cooked prawns curl into a "C" shape and overcooked prawns form a tight "O" shape.

3. This salad is also fantastic with chicken. Just omit the Garlic Shrimp completely and replace with cooked, diced or shredded chicken.

4. Nutrition per serving assuming this serves 3 people. The sodium looks very high because of the amount of dressing made. You need that much dressing to pour it all over the salad, but I'd guess around 1/4 ends up pooled at the bottom of the plate at the end.