I love these kinds off noddle salads. I often order it when I go out for Vietnamese but it so easy to make at home. This time I served it with grilled chicken, but you can also use tofu. Or keep the salad plain for a quick lunch. It’s great to take to work too. This dish comes together pretty quickly. I buy my carrot already shredded to save time.
This recipe serves 3.
Ingredients:
300gr of rice vermicelli noodles
For the salad dressing:
1 bird’s eye chili, minced
½ cup of fish sauce
½ cup of white vinegar
4 tablespoons of granulated sugar
Pinch of garlic powder
For the chicken:
400grs of deboned chicken legs (excess fat trimmed off)
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
Pinch of lemongrass powder
Wooden skewers
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
For the peanut sauce:
1 ½ teaspoons of lemongrass powder
1 cup of coconut milk
1 cup of peanut butter
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
3 tablespoons of soy sauce
juice of half a lime
pinch of garlic powder
1 bird’s eye chili, chopped
Toppings:
Fried onions (I used store-bought)
1 cup of unsalted peanuts, chopped and toasted
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
100grs of bean sprouts
1 cup of shredded carrots
Coriander, chopped
Lime wedges for serving
To make the salad dressing: place the chili, vinegar, fish sauce, garlic powder and sugar in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Stir for a couple of minutes till the sugar has dissolved. Then transfer it to a bowl to cool down.
To make the peanut sauce: just blend all of the ingredients together until smooth. Set it aside.
To make the chicken: If you are using wooden skewers for the chicken, make sure to soak them in water a few minutes before. Trim off the excess fat from the thighs. Then slice them into bitesize pieces. Season them with lemongrass powder, salt and pepper.
Arrange some of the chicken pieces in each skewer. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a large pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the chicken skewers. Cook for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally until they become golden and the chicken is completely cooked.
Cook the noodles as instructed on the package. They need to be tender but not mushy. I cooked mine for 4 minutes. Then quickly rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking.
Drain them. I like to pat them dry with some paper towels to remove the extra water otherwise it will water down the salad dressing.
To serve: Divide the noodles into 3 bowls. Add some cucumber, bean sprouts and carrots. Add the chicken skewers. Drizzle some of the peanut sauce over each skewer. Sprinkle with some toasted peanuts and fried onions. I also like to sprinkle some chopped coriander and chili flakes over the chicken. Serve with the dressing on the side and some lime wedges.
For more foodie inspiration, travel & lifestyle; you can follow me on Instagram and Facebook. For behind the scenes, more of Amsterdam and a peek of press events, you can follow my Instagram stories and Youtube channel.