Peanut Vermicelli Noodle Salad

Noodle salads are a worldly phenomenon. Countries from all across the globe have their fair share of noodle salads using flavors, ingredients, and techniques specific to their region and history.

This recipe was introduced to me by my dead friend, Linda Thach, who was born in Cambodia. She always referred to to this dish as the perfect summer snack- ready for any beach day or last minute picnic in the park.

The star of the show is the dressing (which usually does NOT have peanut butter as an ingredient). It’s silky, it’s smooth, and it is PACKED with umami, thanks to the fish sauce. Peanut butter takes the dressing to the next level by balancing all of the sweet, tangy, and spicy flavors. Think of it as the bowl that catches all of the beautiful rain drops of any day sprinkling down from above.

Use any fresh vegetables you have for this dish. I prefer using those with a lot of texture, brightness, and crunch. You can also use whatever protein you’d like. Now grab some noods and enjoy!

Peanut Vermicelli Noodle Salad

Yield: Serves 3-4

INGREDIENTS

{Peanut Dressing}

• 4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter (sub with almond or sunflower seed butter for allergen concerns)

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce

• 1 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• 1 tablespoons sriracha

• juice of 1 lime

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1 to 2 tablespoons water, to thin

{Salad Assembly}

• 6-8 ounces vermicelli noodles (cooked per the instructions on the packaging)

• 1 cup purple or green cabbage, chopped

• 1 cup bell peppers, sliced

• 4 servings of protein of choice (such as tofu, tempeh, shrimp, chicken, etc)

• 3 tablespoons mint, chopped

• 3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

• crushed peanuts, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

To prepare the dressing:

1. In a bowl, add the peanut butter, fish sauce, soy sauce, maple syrup, sriracha, lime juice, and minced garlic clove.

2. Whisk until combined and smooth. The dressing may be a bit thick due to the emulsification process. If so, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until a consistency similar to salad dressing comes to fruition.

3. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking: add more spice, garlic, or other spices like cumin or coriander if you’d like. Set aside.

   To prepare the dressing:

   1. Cook the vermicelli noodles according to your package. Drain under cold running water to stop the noodles from cooking. Using half of the dressing, coat the noodles.

   2. Add the noodles to a large bowl and add your veggies (cabbage, peppers, onion, etc), your protein of choice, and the chopped mint and cilantro.

   3. Add the remainder of the dressing and toss to combine and incorporate everything into a medley of peanut-ey flavor.

   4. Garnish with more chopped mint, cilantro, and roasted peanuts.

   5. Dive in!

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