Enjoy this fresh treat!

The first time I had this dish (in a dingy, basement restaurant) in Edmonton, I wasn’t quite sure how to eat it. I didn’t know then that the best way to enjoy the big bowl of noodles was to pour the dressing over the noodles, dig into the bowl with chopsticks and toss the vegetables with the noodles and meat. Then slurp, slurp away! The dressing has a salty, slightly sweet tang that ties together the fresh, crispy lettuce, the caramelized slices of pork, the crunch of roasted peanuts and the thin, slippery rice noodles.

This homemade version of the ever-amazing Vietnamese noodle salad mostly calls for every day ingredients that may be hanging out in your pantry or fridge. If not, you can replace or substitute as needed to make a quick and relatively healthy meal. The amount of each ingredient is really up to you – but I’d recommend a handful of each per bowl. You can serve this salad as a starter or side dish (as I have in these photos) or go ahead and use a large Asian bowl and have it as a light meal. It’s also fun to let guests make their own salad bowls by

Vietnamese Noodle Salad Recipe

Salad Ingredients

Rice noodles (the white, very thin variety)
Lemongrass pork, sliced (see recipe here)
Roasted peanuts, crushed
Cucumber, julienned
Lettuce, sliced thinly into strips

Nuoc Mam Cham – Salad Dressing

(Makes 2 cups, enough for 4 meal-size bowls)

½ cup lime juice
1/3 cup sugar
1 ¼ cup water
6 .5 tablespoons fish sauce
¾ cup shredded or grated carrot

Optional toppings (available at Asian stores or make at home)

Imperial Rolls (spring rolls)
Shredded Vietnamese pork
Sliced Vietnamese sausage or meatballs

Instructions

Start by making the Nuoc Mam Cham. Don’t be intimidated by using fish sauce – it may smell really strong, but it is absolutely delicious when used in dressings and sauces.

Nuoc Mam Cham – a salty, sweet and sour dressing

Add the sugar to the lime juice and water, stirring until dissolved. Add the fish sauce. Mix. The dressing should be amber-coloured and should have a good balance of salty, sweet and sour. Bear in mind that this dressing flavours the noodles and lettuce, which are bland on their own. Taste and adjust. Add the grated carrot and mix well. Keep the dressing refrigerated until use.

Lemongrass pork

Make the pork (see this recipe) or use any leftover meat (or omit completely for an almost vegetarian dish).

Boil water. Add rice noodles. Cook only for a couple of minutes (until just soft). Drain and toss in cold water to stop the cooking.

Boiled and chilled rice noodles

To serve: Place a handful of lettuce and sliced cucumber at the bottom of a large bowl. Cover with a handful or two of rice noodles. Top with pork, peanuts and optional toppings. Serve with a small dipping bowl of Nuoc Mam Cham dressing. To eat, pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.