knock off vietnamese noodle salad

i miss working in footscray. the waves of alternating smells in each street- mouth watering one second, quickly followed by some unspeakably and overwhelmingly revolting stench; feuding derelicts; the insane drivers; the banh mi (vietnamese baguettes. the only place to go is nhu lan bakery, at 116 hopkins st footscray - behind the market. it's always packed, but the rolls are to die for). *sigh*  

so i make do at home. you can even prep all the ingredients into a really big salad bowl, and make the dressing in a small jar: mix the salad ingredients without dressing, put half the salad undressed in a container and refrigerate for later- then dress what you'll eat in the salad bowl immediately. this helps the salad keep longer (great when it's hot and you can't be bothered making any more delicious food :)

asian grocers have the best, freshest and cheapest ingredients, but most supermarkets will have enough of these ingredients to approximate the flavours if that's easier for you.

the quantity below feeds at least 4, if not 6, for a substantial lunch or dinner (or breakfast, if you're as keen as i am :D ).

you will need:

a large salad or mixing bowl 

a small jar or bowl

500g firm tofu

pinch each of salt and ground pepper

1tsp garlic powder (optional, but makes the tofu yummier!)

500g packet of dry rice or bean thread vermicelli and boiling water to soak

2 large carrots, grated

3c green or savoy cabbage, finely shredded or sliced

2c bean shoots

1 bunch mint, remove coarse stems, chopped

1 bunch coriander, chopped

0.3c roasted unsalted peanuts or cashews

optional: 1-2 sliced tomatoes; 1 finely sliced cucumber; 1c lightly steamed (ie still crunchy) green beans; 1c raw snow peas, cut into 2cm lengths 

for the dressing

4Tbs sesame oil

1Tbs rice vinegar (or white vinegar if not available)

6Tbs lime juice (or lemon)

zest of 2 limes (or lemons)

3Tbs palm or brown sugar

4Tbs soy sauce

1 small fresh chilli, finely chopped or 1 tsp hot chilli sauce (or sweet, if you prefer)

2Tbs fresh ginger, finely grated

1Tbs fresh garlic, finely grated or crushed

toasted sesame seeds and/or fried shallots for garnish (optional)

slice tofu into 1cm cubes and gently pan fry on medium heat with a little oil for 2 minutes before adding the salt, pepper and garlic powder. continue cooking for another 5 minutes until lightly golden- turn the heat off.

in the large bowl, soak the noodles in boiling water for about 5 minutes. stir once gently then drain; rinse with cold water to stop the cooking, drain well and place noodles in bowl. 

add carrot, cabbage, bean shoots, and any other veggies on top of the noodles; top with nuts, herbs, and tofu.

mix all dressing ingredients in small jar or bowl. adjust to taste. if you're saving some salad for later, separate some out now and dress the rest. serve with tongs, and garnish.

suggested beverage: thai young coconut juice

awesome salad

based on my favourite vietnamese flavours, this salad is a serious meal and can be eaten over two sittings. all ingredients can be increased/decreased/omitted according to taste, diet and seasonality. make the dressing first, then pour over the veggies. can be served with rice.

dressing

120ml tamari/soy sauce (or vegetarian fish sauce, which i've heard of but not yet seen)

50g/3tbs palm or brown sugar

30ml sesame oil

juice and finely grated zest of two limes (lemon can be used for up to half of this)

2cm piece of ginger, finely grated

3 cloves garlic, crushed

finely chopped fresh chillis/hot chilli sauce to taste

splash of water

mix all ingredients in a bowl: adjust seasoning to taste.

500g firm tofu/cold roasted chicken/other

garlic powder/seasoning

.25 small cabbage (chinese cabbage is best)

4 medium carrots

200g bean shoots (2-3 big handfuls)

1 tomato/10 cherry tomatoes

1 bunch mint

1 bunch coriander

100g roasted unsalted nuts (peanuts and cashews are the best)

100g package mung bean vermicelli (glass noodles)

if using, cut the tofu into 1-2cm cubes. sprinkle with garlic powder or other dry seasoning, shallow fry in oil until crunchy, and set aside.

soak the vermicelli in a bowl of recently boiled water for about 2 minutes. stir, then drain.

grate cabbage and carrots into small-medium pieces. coarsely chop the mint and coriander. arrange these, the bean shoots, sliced tomato, nuts and vermicelli on a large serving platter (a large, shallow bowl of at least 30cm diametre is good). put the tofu/other on top, and pour dressing over.

serve sprinkled with these: