VEGAN VIETNAMESE VEGETARIAN NOODLE SALAD

Vegan Vietnamese Vegetarian Noodle Salad image

Provided by Elaine Louie

Categories pastas, salads and dressings, side dish

Time 1h

Yield 4 small appetizer servings, or 2 generous servings

Number Of Ingredients 24

Ingredients

For the dressing:
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 red Thai bird chilies, seeded and minced
For the salad:
6 ounces rice vermicelli noodles
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 pound firm tofu
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup baby bok choy or napa cabbage, chopped in pieces 1 1/2 inches by 1/2 inch
1 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, and cut into slender strips
1 tablespoon seeded chopped red Thai bird chilies
2 cups mung bean sprouts
1/2 cup scallions, trimmed and cut into 1 inch lengths
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups red leaf lettuce, cut into 3/4 inch strips
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup mint, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, minced, plus 8 cilantro sprigs, for garnish
1/4 cup Thai basil, minced
1 cup julienned, peeled, seedless cucumber
1/3 cup roasted peanuts, chopped, for garnish.

Steps:

For the dressing: In a bowl, combine sugar, soy sauce, lime juice and three tablespoons water. Whisk until sugar is dissolved. Add garlic and chilies and let stand for one hour before serving.
For the salad: Bring a medium-size pot of water to boil. Turn off the heat. Add the noodles to the water and soak until soft, five to eight minutes. Drain, rinsing under cold water, and drain again. Using scissors, cut the noodles into six-inch lengths. Set aside.
In a wok over high heat, add oil and heat to 350 degrees. Pat the tofu dry with paper towels. Add to wok and fry until golden on both sides, about 3 minutes. Using a wire strainer or spatula, transfer tofu to paper towels, reserving the oil. Turn off the heat. When the tofu is cool enough to handle, cut it into half-inch dice. Set aside.
Discard all but two tablespoons of the oil in the wok, and return to high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add diced tofu, garlic, bok choy or napa cabbage, mushrooms and chilies. Stir-fry until mushrooms are tender, about three minutes. Add mung bean sprouts, scallions, and soy sauce; stir-fry just until crisp-tender, two to three minutes. Add half a cup of the cucumbers, and cook 30 seconds.
In a large bowl, combine lettuce, sesame oil, mint, cilantro, basil and cooked vegetables. Toss lightly to combine. Divide the noodles among four (or two) bowls, and top with equal parts of salad. Garnish with remaining cucumbers, roasted peanuts and cilantro sprigs. Pass the dressing separately, to be spooned over the salad.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 697, UnsaturatedFat 34 grams, Carbohydrate 66 grams, Fat 40 grams, Fiber 7 grams, Protein 26 grams, SaturatedFat 4 grams, Sodium 1498 milligrams, Sugar 18 grams, TransFat 0 grams