I love sitting at a a table and watching people try things for the first time. You can tell whether they are pleasantly surprised or if they resent me for even putting it on their plate.
Vietnamese is always one of those cuisines that leave people satisfied, even if unexpectedly, so today I am teaching you how to take restaurant favorites to your own table.
Vietnamese Prawn and Rice Noodle Salad
Recipe by Louise Pickford
Ingredients
- 200g rice vermicelli noodles
- 1 large carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
- 1 telegraph cucumber, seeds removed, cut into thin matchsticks
- 1 long red chilli, seeds removed, cut into thin matchsticks
- 300g peeled cooked prawns (tails intact), deveined
- 1 cup (75g) bean sprouts
- 1/4 cup each of mint, coriander and Thai basil leaves (see note)
Nuoc cham dressing
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1/3 cup (80ml) lime juice
- 1 long red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Method
For the nuoc cham, stir the sugar, fish sauce and lime juice in a bowl to dissolve the sugar, then stir in chilli and garlic. Set aside.
Prepare the rice noodles according to packet instructions, drain well, then place in a large bowl.
Add the carrot, cucumber, chilli, prawns, bean sprouts and herbs to the bowl of noodles. Add the dressing, toss well to combine, then serve.
Vietnamese Spring Rolls
Ingredients
100 gr dried shrimps
100 gr wild garlic (preserved in vinegar)
300 gr fresh vermicelli
1 teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon minced chilies
1 teaspoon olive oil/vegetable oil
1 cup mung bean sprouts (about 3 ounces)
32 medium fresh mint leaves (from about 1 bunch)
32 fresh basil or Thai basil leaves
16 small fresh cilantro sprigs
1 medium English cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/4-by-1/4-by-2-1/2-inch sticks
3 medium scallions, quartered lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 2-1/2-inch pieces (white and light green parts only)
8 Bibb lettuce leaves, cut in half
16 round rice paper wrappers
Method
Soak dried shrimps in water about 15 minutes. Next, squeeze the water out of shrimps.
Boil olive oil/vegetable oil with garlic and chilies until the color turns yellow-brown. Next, add dried shrimps into the pan and fry about 5 minutes.
Squeeze vinegar out of wild garlic. Add them into pan and fry with dried shrimps about 5 minutes.
Place a clean, damp kitchen towel on a work surface. Fill a medium frying pan or wide, shallow dish large enough to hold the rice paper wrappers with hot tap water. Working with 1 wrapper at a time, completely submerge the wrapper until it is soft and pliable, about 15 seconds. Remove the wrapper from the water and place it on the towel.
Work quickly to place a little bit of the mixture of dried shrimps and wild garlic in a line in the center of the rice paper. Add some vermicelli noddles on top of the shrimp mixture along with bean sprouts, mint, basil, cilantro, cucumber scallion and lettuce.
Fold the bottom half of the rice paper wrapper over the filling. Holding the whole thing firmly in place, fold the sides of the wrapper in and roll it up.
Serve with fish sauce or peanut sauce to dip.
WE SAID THIS: This couldn’t get easier!