VIETNAMESE SUMMER ROLL SALAD

VIETNAMESE SUMMER ROLL SALAD image

Categories Salad Pepper Vegetable Mint Basil Carrot

Yield 4 people

Number Of Ingredients 18

Ingredients

1/2 of a 16-ounce package of Vietnamese rice vermicelli noodles
1 small shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1/2 pound fresh shrimp (36-40 size), shelled and de-veined. you can season these lightly with salt and pepper, if you'd like.
1 medium cucumber - peeled and julienned
2 large carrots - peeled and cut into long strips with a vegetable peeler or julienned
1 red pepper, sliced very thinly
1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts
1/3 cup dry roasted, unsalted peanuts
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh basil or Thai basil leaves, larger stems removed
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, tough stems removed
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, tough stems removed
2 medium Thai red chilies, minced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon honey or light agave nectar
6 tablespoons fish sauce - if you are vegetarian, substitute salt or soy sauce for this. just adjust and taste as you go
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
lime wedges, as garnish

Steps:

For the salad: Bring a large soup/stockpot of water to a boil. Add in the rice vermicelli noodles and cook until al dente - this should take 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking. Set aside in a colander until you're ready to assemble the salad. In a small skillet, heat the canola oil until shimmering. Stir in the shallot slices and fry until dark, golden brown. Scoop them out of the pan and onto a paper towel to drain. Wipe out the skillet and, adding just a little bit of oil, cook the shrimp until cooked through - 3 to 4 minutes. Set the shrimp aside as well to cool until you assemble the salad. For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, ginger and minced red chili. Set aside until right before serving. To assemble: In a large salad or mixing bowl, tip in the drained rice noodles along with the cucumber, mung bean sprouts, red pepper slices and carrots. Mix together (I use my hands for this - tongs work too). Add in the fresh herbs and mix again. Sprinkle the top with the frizzled shallots and roasted peanuts. Top with shrimp or other chosen protein. You can serve this family style in a large bowl or platter or you can divide into portions. However you choose to serve it, don't pour over the dressing until the very end so your noodles don't get soggy. You can also put a small ramekin of the dressing on the side with each portion if you are serving it that way so guests can dress it to their liking. Serve with lime wedges on the side, as well. Recipe adapted from the food blog "Running With Tweezers"