sometimes i cook :: vietnamese noodle salad

Posted on | January 25, 2010 | 15 Comments

or those of you who have been around the ol’ haps for a while, you already know that i have a mild obsession with phó and Vietnamese noodle salads. if you are a new reader, then HI and you should know, i’m obsessed with phó and Vietnamese noodle salads.

a while back, i made chicken phó at home, and it was awesome. i vowed that my next endeavor would be a noodle bowl of epic proportions and well my friends, here we are. if you’re reading and don’t know what the hee-haw i’m talking about, then it’s really important you listen and then either make said noodle bowl or run to your nearest pho/vietnamese restaurant and order one up. this is not a joke.

here is your shopping list for a delightful pork and egg roll noodle bowl:

• 2 cups washed and shredded romaine, red, or green leaf lettuce
• 2 cups fresh, crisp bean sprouts
• 8 oz. dried rice vermicelli
• fresh cilantro
• fresh basil and mint (optional)
• 1-1/2 lb. pork loin or sirloin, sliced into large pieces about 1/4-inch thick
• frozen egg rolls (i don’t have all day people)

for nuoc cham dressing:

• 8 Tbsp fish sauce
• 4 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 6 Tsp rice vinegar
• 6 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 cloves finely chopped garlic
• chili paste (to your liking)

so while Harper had her afternoon nap, i prepped the greens and the pork so it could marinate until dinner time. the thing about these bowls is how yummy it is to have really cold lettuce, sprouts, cilantro, and then warm noodles, pork and egg rolls. it’s just…so yummy (trying not to swear, and YEAH i like this stuff that much). so anywho, julienne the cukes, and chop up the cilantro and lettuce (and mint & basil if you so choose).

then i cut up the pork and made my own little marinade using sriracha, hoisin, soy sauce and garlic. nothing scientific, just threw those together and poured it over the meat.

pop all your greens and the pork in the fridge until it’s time to get your eat on. now for the dressing.

in my opinion, the dressing is key. it makes or breaks the whole dang thing. which is why i almost cried when i made a batch according to a recipe i found on fine cooking, only to almost vomit when i tested it (pregnant ladies and moms – that immediate 1st tri feeling of “omg, toilet! TRASH CAN! vrblghard!”). it tasted like licking a fish covered in salt. it was repulsive. fine cooking it was not. so i found another one (the one i listed above) and it was great. the thing is, you can add more of each ingredient to make you happy. the scary part? the fine cooking recipe was all the same ingredients, but at really wacky proportions. be careful, i’m fairly certain it was way too much fish sauce.

prepare the noodles according to the package, the ones i use need to be soaked in cold water for 10 minutes and then boiled for 10 minutes. drain those and let them sit at room temp whilst you finish the rest. i cooked the pork in some oil in a pan, but in the summer i plan to kebab those bad boys and grill them up (or um, make scot do that). prepare egg rolls according to package.

pile all them goodies in a big bowl! we each had two helpings because a) it was that good and b) we need bigger bowls! the sauce is great for dipping the egg rolls and dumping all over your happy little salad.

oh and my plan for next time? julienne some carrots and grill up some lemongrass prawns. my favorite place to eat these serves up a prawn, pork and egg roll combo bowl that has me needing a wheelchair to cart me out of the joint. so good!

i want to hear from you guys if you make this! and i hope you do. i wouldn’t steer you wrong my lovely friends!

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