1. Vietnamese Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
For the salad:
2 cups cooked shredded chicken (poached or grilled)
200g (7 oz) rice vermicelli noodles
1 cup shredded green cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1 small cucumber, julienned
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped Thai basil (optional)
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, crushed
For the Nuoc Cham dressing:
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp lime juice (freshly squeezed)
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp water
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 red chili, thinly sliced (optional)
Instructions:
Cook vermicelli: Soak rice vermicelli in hot water for 5–7 minutes until soft. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
Prepare dressing:In a small bowl, mix fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and water until sugar dissolves. Stir in garlic and chili. Adjust flavor to taste (balance of salty, sour, sweet).
Assemble salad: In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, onion, herbs, and vermicelli.
Dress and toss: Pour the nuoc cham dressing over the salad and toss until everything is well coated.
Garnish and serve: Top with crushed peanuts. Serve immediately or chill for a refreshing cold dish.
2. Thai Papaya Salad (Som Tum)
Ingredients:
2 cups green papaya, peeled and shredded (use a julienne peeler or mandoline)
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp roasted peanuts
2 garlic cloves
1–2 Thai bird’s eye chilies (adjust to taste)
2 tbsp fish sauce
1.5 tbsp lime juice (fresh)
1 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
1–2 tsp dried shrimp (optional, traditional)
Instructions:
Prepare the dressing:
In a mortar and pestle, pound garlic and chilies until crushed. Add palm sugar and mix until it dissolves.
Add fish sauce and lime juice to the mortar. Mix well. Then add shredded papaya, cherry tomatoes, and dried shrimp. Pound gently while turning with a spoon until well combined and just softened.
Add most of the peanuts and mix again.
Plate the salad and sprinkle with remaining peanuts. Serve immediately.
3. Vietnamese Shrimp Salad
For the salad:
8 oz rice noodles (thin or vermicelli)
1 lb cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
chopped peanuts for topping
For the dressing:
3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice (freshly squeezed)
1 tbsp brown sugar or palm sugar
2 clove garlic, minced
1 small red onion, sliced
1 red chili (like Thai bird’s eye), minced (adjust to heat preference)
1 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
1. Cook the noodles:
Prepare the rice noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
2. Make the dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk together fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, garlic, chili, and sesame oil until the sugar dissolves.
3. Assemble the salad:
In a large bowl, combine noodles, shrimp, carrots, bell pepper, cucumber, cilantro, mint, tomatoes and onion. Toss to mix.
4. Add dressing:
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss again until everything is well coated.
5. Serve:
Garnish with chopped peanuts. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
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