Not sure what to call this, but it sure is delicious!
This recipe comes from a friend of mine that recently finished up his time in the Peace Corps in Cambodia. He wrote down the recipe by watching his host-mother prepare it, and then I went and made some changes to it, resulting in amazing deliciousness. This is basically a messed up version of the vermicelli noodle salad bowls that you can get at Vietnamese restaurants. It takes several steps to get everything done, but actually is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. I’ve made this twice, and everything went significantly faster the second time.
Sauce:
- 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2-3 bird’s eye (or other little, red, spicy, Asian) chilies, minced (I minced the garlic and the chilis together in my food processor. If you have a food processor, I recommend doing this.)
- juice from 3-4 limes
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1-2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1-2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup chopped peanuts (make sure they’re chopped small, but not crushed)
Mix everything in a bowl, make sure the sugar is dissolved, and let it sit for 1 hour unrefrigerated. After an hour, give the sauce a taste. It should be sour, sweet, and spicy all at the same time. You should be able to taste pretty much all the ingredients. If it’s too sour, add a little more sugar. Too sweet, add a little more lime juice, etc. I think I added another tablespoon or two of water to my last batch.
Once the sauce is ready, it’s easy to prepare the rest of the ingredients. For the noodles, prepare rice vermicelli according to the package. (My grocery store sells this as Mai fun, the Japanese name, but just make sure you’re using rice noodles of some kind.) This will usually involve soaking the noodles for about 10-15 minutes, and then cooking them in boiling water for 1-3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. In a small saucepan, heat up a couple tablespoons of olive oil. When hot, throw in 3 or 4 diced scallions and saute for a couple minutes. Mix the scallions and oil in with the noodles.
Wash and prepare some lettuce (I used butter lettuce, but anything slightly crunchy will do), basil, and mint. Feel free to throw in any other veggies you want. Sprouts, carrots, whatever. I added some chopped cucumber and radishes.
You could totally serve this as is for a salad, but I wanted it to be more of a main dish. I sauteed some thin sliced pork chops, seasoned with salt, pepper, and a little Chinese five spice. The thin pork chops only take a couple minutes to cook, which is helpful for getting everything ready at the same time. Slice into small strips or pieces. I think seasoned chicken or tofu would also be a lovely addition.
OK! Mix everything together, and add the sauce as you go. I know this seems like a lot of steps, but it’s really not that difficult, and totally worth the time. Enjoy!
