Rice Noodle Salad Bowl Recipe by Chef Andrea Nguyen
This dish often comes with a sizable bowl including slippery rice noodles for flavor, fresh herbs for pungency, and lettuce ribbons and a thin, crisp vegetable for texture. You get to pick the toppings, and toasted peanuts are always added as a finishing touch. Pickled radish and carrot are frequently added to a fancy bowl for color and crunch, as well as fried shallots for added richness (canned fried onions are my lazy-day sub). Chopsticks (or a fork and spoon) and dipping sauce (nuoc cham in Vietnamese) are used to garnish the bowl before you dig in.
Keep dry noodles, a jar of nc chm sauce base, washed herbs and lettuce or baby lettuce mix, and roasted almonds on available so you can quickly prepare your own. The main draw is all that is left. The marinade for beef, hog, and chicken skewers is provided below. You can find additional inspiration for your creativity in the Notes.
Skewers are required to cook the meat. Eight to ten 6-inch skewers will hold the food; four to five 10-inch skewers will suffice. (If using wooden skewers, soak them in hot water for 20 minutes before using them to cook over a live fire.)
- 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 1/2 cup shallot (coarsely chopped shallot or yellow onion)
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper (ground black pepper)
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
- 1.5 tablespoon granulated sugar (or 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar)
- 1/2 teaspoon molasses (or dark amber honey)
- 1.5 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1.5 tablespoon canola (or other neutral oil, plus more for grilling)
- 1.5 pound beefsteak (well-marbled beefsteak (such as tri-tip or New York strip steak), boneless pork shoulder, boneless country-style pork ribs, or boneless, skinless chicken thigh)
- 8 ounces rice noodles (1 (6- to 8-oz) package small dried round rice noodles (maifun), or 1 (10- to 12-oz.) package dried rice capellini or thin spaghetti)
- 2/3 cups roasted peanuts (unsalted roasted peanuts or cashew pieces, coarsely chopped if large)
- 1/4 cup fried onion (or shallots (optional))
- 4 cups baby lettuce (baby lettuce mix or leaves of soft-leaf lettuce (such as butter, Boston, or green leaf), cut into narrow ribbons, with spines intact)
- 4 bean sprouts (3 or 4 handfuls bean sprouts, or 1 Persian cucumber, shaved with a vegetable peeler into thin strips, or both)
- 1/2 cup cilantro (hand-torn fresh cilantro leaves and tender tops)
- 1/2 cup mint leaves (hand-torn fresh mint leaves, basil leaves, or dill fronds, or a combination)
- 2 tablespoons sugar (or 3 to 4 tablespoons maple syrup)
- 1/2 cup water (or more as needed)
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 teaspoons vinegar (optional)
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 chiles (Thai or serrano chiles, thinly sliced (keep seeds intact); or 2 to 3 teaspoons chile garlic sauce or sambal oelek (optional))
- 1 clove garlic (minced (optional))
- 1/2 carrot (cut into thin matchsticks or coarsely grated (optional))
Combine the garlic, shallot, pepper, five-spice powder, sugar, molasses, fish sauce, soy sauce, and canola oil in a small food processor. Process until the mixture becomes liquidy roux. (Alternatively, combine the other ingredients after crushing the sugar, shallot, and garlic in a mortar and pestle.) Put the marinade in a big basin
Cut the meat into strips that are 1 inch wide, 3 inches long, and a scant 1/4 inch thick if you are using beef or pork. When using chicken, cut each thigh into 1-inch-wide strips by cutting crosswise; if a thigh is particularly thick on one end, make one or two gashes there to level out the thickness before cutting the strips. Add to the marinade, then give it a good massage to coat.
To cover the majority of each skewer, thread the meat onto the skewers. Give each loaded skewer a light press for succulence to make sure the meat clings to the skewer. Place on a dish, cover, and leave to marinate for 30 to 60 minutes at room temperature
Noodles should be cooked until tender in a saucepan of unsalted water; the amount of time will vary depending on the type and brand of noodle. Drain thoroughly in a strainer, rinse with cold water, and then set aside. In a serving bowl, place the dipping sauce. If using, place the fried onions and nuts close to the burner
In four large soup or pasta bowls, distribute the lettuce and bean sprouts (you'll need space later to mix and toss). Add the mint and cilantro after setting aside 2 tablespoons for the garnish. Add a layer of noodles on top. Place close to the stove
Oil the meat with a light coating right before grilling. Set a cast-iron stovetop grill pan over medium-high heat after lightly oiling it. Alternately, make a medium-hot charcoal fire or heat a gas grill to medium-high temperature (you can hold your hand 6 inches above the grill for 3 or 4 seconds)
Turn and baste the skewers with oil often for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the meat is slightly browned and cooked through. To test, nick a piece with a knife's point. Keeping the meat on the skewers or removing it, divide it among the bowls. Add the nuts, fried onions, and saved herbs as a crown
Serve the dipping sauce alongside the bowls. Allow guests to decorate and throw their own bowls
Add 2 tablespoons of sugar (or 3 tablespoons of maple syrup), 3 tablespoons of lime juice, and water to a small bowl. If necessary, taste the limeade and add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar (or 1 tablespoon of maple syrup) and/or 1 tablespoon of lime juice; if you go overboard, dilute with water. Add vinegar to the dish to improve the flavor if it has an unappealing tart-bitter edge
The amount of fish sauce you use will depend on the brand and your own preferences. Add it to the bowl. Aim for a daring, forward-thinking finale that is bold. (Remember that this sauce frequently tops foods with unsalted items like lettuce and herbs, which require an additional flavor boost.) Add the carrot, garlic, and/or chilies, as preferred. (If diners are sensitive to heat, serve the chilies on the side.) Before serving, the sauce can stay at room temperature for up to 8 hours.
Dipping Sauce (nuoc cham):
When lime juice is left in a sauce overnight, it can mellow and even make it slightly bitter. Make a base for the nuoc cham that can be prepared ahead of time by combining the sugar, water, and fish sauce. If you plan to use it frequently, prepare a double batch. Add the lime juice, vinegar, and any additional ingredients you choose to complete the dish.
For a vegetarian nuoc cham, combine 3 teaspoons of packed light brown sugar (or 4 to 5 tablespoons of maple syrup), 3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice, and a rounded 1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt in a small bowl. To balance the lime juice, taste it and adjust the sweetness with extra sweetener or up to 1 teaspoon of unseasoned Japanese rice vinegar. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons soy