Vietnamese chicken noodle salad
Serves 4
A fresh and flavorful Vietnamese
salad with rice noodles, shredded chicken, crisp vegetables and
crunchy peanuts.
3 oz (85g) dried rice vermicelli
noodles
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 garlic clove — minced
2 teaspoons peanut or canola oil
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon finely chopped red chili (or ½ teaspoon dried chili
flakes)
2 cups bean sprouts
1 carrot — grated
1 cup thinly sliced cucumber — cut into half-moons
2 scallions — thinly sliced on diagonal
2 cups shredded skinless rotisserie chicken
¼ cup roasted unsalted peanuts — lightly crushed
A handful of cilantro (fresh coriander) leaves
SOAK the noodles in boiling water for 5
minutes. WHILE the noodles soak, place the fish sauce, lime juice,
garlic, oil, sugar and chili in a screw-top jar and shake to
combine. RINSE the noodles under cold water and drain well. PLACE
the noodles in a salad bowl with the sprouts, carrot, cucumber,
scallions, chicken, peanuts, and cilantro and toss to mix. POUR over
the dressing and toss again to thoroughly combine.
Variations: The chicken can be replaced with shrimp, chunks
of good-quality canned tuna, or even cubes of baked marinated tofu.
If you’re not a fan of cilantro you can use roughly chopped fresh
mint leaves instead. Cashew nuts or sliced almonds can be used to
replace the peanuts, and other vegetables that work well with this
salad include snow peas, finely shredded cabbage, or diced green or
red pepper.
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