It’s only May and it’s already too humid for me to want to cook anything. This could be a problem.
What I need are more dishes like this Thai noodle salad. Things that are easy and don’t require the oven. Any ideas??
While you think about that, let me tell you about this dish. It’s very easy and requires minimal cooking. It’s somehow tart, sweet, and spicy all at the same time, and I love it. AND it’s really light because it uses glass/cellophane noodles made of mung beans and the sauce is a simple and light lime + fish sauce concoction. I used a quick stir fry of shrimp for the protein, but you could certainly use tofu or ground meat instead (or in addition to the shrimp). This is best cold or at room temperature, but feel free to heat it up if you wish.
Thai Noodle Salad (yum woon sen)
Makes: 3-4 servings
Ingredients
- ½ pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 6-ounce package glass noodles (bean threads/saifun)
- ½ small red onion, sliced into thin rounds
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into very thin slivers
- 1 Thai chili*, very thinly sliced
- 2½ – 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp lime juice (from 1-2 limes)
- handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
- handful of mint, roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons peanuts, roughly chopped
Directions
Heat a small amount of oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add the shrimp and quickly stir fry until fully cooked. Set aside.
Make the sauce by combining the fish sauce and lime juice. Give it quick taste and adjust to your liking- it should be tart and tangy. Add the sliced red onion, bell pepper, and Thai chili to the sauce.
Meanwhile, bring a pot or kettle full of water to a boil. Place the noodle in a large bowl and cover with the boiling water. Let sit for 15 minutes and then drain.
To assemble, mix the noodles, shrimp, sauce mixture, cilantro, mint, and 2 tablespoons of peanuts in a large bowl. Garnish with the additional tablespoon of peanuts and enjoy!
The noodles are best on the day they are made, but I still liked them on day 2.
Notes
*Feel free to seed the chili if you don’t love spicy food.
