Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad
Adapted from Delancey
[https://www.amazon.com/dp/1451655096?tag=davidleboviswebs&link_code=as2&creativeASIN=1451655096&creative=374929&camp=211189] by Molly
Wizenberg [http://orangette.net/?blogger=7621924312457079203]
I added Chinese roast pork (char siu) to mine. You can do the same by marinating
boneless pork loin in jarred char siu sauce, or make your own) Boneless
chicken, crispy tofu [https://www.davidlebovitz.com/crisp-baked-tofu-recipe/],
or cooked shrimp, would work well, too. Often nems (spring rolls) are added to
salads like this. Most Asian shops sell them, or you can make your own (I linked
to some recipes, below) if you want to use them. Molly adds fried shallots to
hers, which you can also get already made in Asian stores, although she slyly
admits the canned onions sold in supermarkets are fine, too. But like the fried
spring rolls, those can be optional as well. I took it upon myself to fry up
both because I was feeling adventurous. To do so, heat an inch (3-4cm) or so of
vegetable oil in a saucepan to between 275ºF to 325ºF (135ºC to 160ºC), then
drop in the spring rolls, turning them as they cook. When well-browned, remove
from the oil and drain on paper towels. (You can instead bake the spring rolls
by rubbing or brushing them with vegetable oil, and baking them in a 375ºF/190ºC
oven on a baking sheet, turning them a couple of times, until crisp – about 10
minutes or so.) Fry the shallots by peeling 4 to 6 shallots, and slicing them
thin. Drop them in hot oil, stirring them frequently, until browned and crisp.
Drain on paper towels. (The shallots can be made a few days in advance. Once
cool, store them in an airtight container at room temperature.) Authenticity
probably dictates using a Thai bird’s eye chile, but I used the red one shown in
the post since that was what was available, which was quite hot. So adjust
accordingly to what’s available and your desired level of heat. The sauce is
called Nuoc cham and various recipes abound, with different amounts of fish
sauce, lime juice, and sweetness. Some have garlic, while others don’t. I tried
it both ways and decided that the garlic took the sauce in another direction. So
I’ll leave that up to you.