At Home Chef ~ Rice Noodle Salad Recipe

We do eat out often, mostly at chef-run restaurants, but I actually do cook at home during the week. A fairly quick dish based on a variation of my mom's Cambodian recipe is the Rice Noodle Salad, great for warm weather since everything but the grilled meat is served cold. {By the way, my mom is my favorite chef.}

Ingredients ~ Salad

~Rice Noodle

~Grilled pork, chicken, or beef marinated in a sweet Asian BBQ seasoning*

~Pickled carrots, shredded {non-pickled is fine}*

~Basil

~Mango, shredded {pickled is fine}

~Pan roasted peanuts, crushed

~Sweet chili sauce

Cook noodles per package direction and run under cool water. Mango may be pickled by adding vinegar, fish sauce and sugar to taste. Peanuts are best when pan roasted and crushed at home. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and add the sauce referenced below.

Ingredients ~ Sauce

~ 3 parts warm water

~ 3 parts sugar

~ 1 part fish sauce

~ 1 1/2 parts white vinegar

~ 1 tsp garlic, minced

~ 1 dash salt

Melt the sugar in the warm water. Add vinegar and fish sauce. Fish sauce should be added slowly while mixing to test amount by color. The color I look for is a light golden brown {like a light beer color}. Taste and add ingredients as needed. Add garlic. Taste and add salt if needed. Chill if possible. Pour enough to soak the noodles and enjoy!

*You may find most ingredients at the Viet Hoa Market. Photo by Sophorn.