Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad w/ Pickled Vegetables

Turnips have been showing up a lot in my CSA box lately — which don’t get me wrong, I love, but it has been way too hot around here to roast them in the oven or to turn them into the tender gratin my mother used to make.

So, I’ve been pickling the heck out of them. Pickled Turnips are a delicious staple in Middle Eastern cuisine–a tasty accompaniment to falafels, where they are traditionally pickled with a slice of beet giving them a beautiful pink hue. I like to always have a jar on hand in the fridge and serve them with hummus and pita for quick snack.

For the sake of trying something new, I added turnips to this recipe for Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with Pickled Vegetables, and it turned out great!

Here I used carrot ribbons and cucumber too, but feel free to use any vegetable that you have on hand or like: radishes, daikon radish, bell pepper, shredded cabbage, zucchini ribbons, or even jicama. You will need 4-5 cups of vegetables.

To turn this into a meal, add cooked shrimp or cubes of extra firm tofu. Don’t let the fish sauce scare you, it gives it a really delicious authentic flavor.

Fresh herbs are a must here — and I change it up a lot, sometimes mint, sometimes cilantro, sometimes basil or Thai basil. Take your pick. The leftovers hold up well in the fridge for several days.

Cook the noodles according to the instruction on the package and let the veggies marinate in the Vietnamese Pickling liquid for 15 minutes. Rinse the noodles with cold water and mix the veggies along with the pickling liquid into the noodles. Add half the herbs and scallions, chill and then sprinkle with fresh herbs.

To turn this into a light meal, add cooked shrimp or cubed tofu.

Have a great week!

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad w/ Pickled Vegetables

A healthy GF summer salad with Vietnamese flavors!

• Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home Blog
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Yield: 4-6
• Category: salad
• Cuisine: Vietnamese

Ingredients

• 4-5 ounces rice noodles
• 2 garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoon sugar (or honey)
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha chili sauce (optional) or red chili flakes
• 4-5 cups your choice of julienned or match stick cut vegetables: carrots, bell peppers, daikon radish, turnips, cucumber, zucchini ribbons, radish, green papaya
• ¼ cup sliced scallions
• 1 cup chopped cilantro,
• 1 cup chopped basil or mint, or a mix.
• 4-8 ounces cooked, chilled shrimp, or cubed tofu (both optional)

Instructions

1. Cook rice noodles according to directions on the package, rinse with cold running water. Alternately, pour boiling water over noodles in a bowl. Let noodles soak until tender but not mushy, anywhere from 5-15 minutes, depending on the size, then drain and rinse under very cold water until throughly chilled
2. In a small sauce pan, add garlic, shallot, fish sauce, lime juice, vinegar, oil, sugar, and Sriracha and give a stir, bring to a simmer. Place the vegetables in a large bowl, and pour pickling liquid over top, toss to coat well. Chill 15 minutes in the fridge, and toss again.
3. Add noodles and half of the herbs to the pickled vegetable bowl; toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Sprinkle with remaining herbs, just before serving, This salad is best served very cold, so I’ll often make it one hour ahead or the day before.
4. If adding shrimp, toss in at the same time as the noodles.