Thai Noodle Salad
“We’re having a heatwave, a tropical heatwave……” wrote Irving Berlin.
Well, so is Melbourne, today experiencing our eighth day of temperatures ranging from 33C – 36C. (93F – 102F)
This cook gets bad tempered sweating over a hot stove so for dinner I often opt to serve meat roasted in our kettle BBQ with interesting salads. The house stays cool and so do I.
Charcoal roasted scotch pork fillet that had marinated in an intensely flavoured, heavily reduced master stock led me to resurrect a recently unearthed recipe for a salad of noodles dressed with the hot, sweet and salty flavours of Thailand. The large quantity of chopped herbs give freshness and fragrance, the chilli a healthy kick of heat but it is the melding of all elements that make this salad perfect for a hot night.
My recipe is a adapted from Marieke Brugman’s Thai Noodle Salad.
250g short soup vermicelli or spaghetti broken into short lengths ( I used GF)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon nam pla (fish sauce)
2 tablespoons kecap manis ( sweet soy)
1 ½ limes, juice only
1 large carrot
½ cup ground peanuts
1 red chilli, finely sliced
1 cup finely chopped herbs, a mixture of basil, mint and coriander
2 tablespoons snipped chives
Cook the pasta according to the manufacturers instructions. When done, tip it into a colander, then refresh the noodles under cold running water. Drain thoroughly then toss through the oil.
Cut the carrot into long fine julienne. I use a mandolin to cut fine slices and then use my trusty super sharp cook’s knife to cut the stacked slices into julienne.
Pick the herbs from their stems, wash thoroughly, dry well ( I use a salad spinner) then blitz in the food processor until finely chopped.
Finely slice the chilli and snip the chives.
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl tossing thoroughly to combine. Clean hands are best for this Job!
Serves 6-8 as an accompaniment with other dishes.
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13 comments on “Thai Noodle Salad”
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Please Pass the Recipe by Sandra Gay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Please Pass the Recipe 
Did I say thanks? Thanks,Sandra. 🙂
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Since we’re sharing a heat wave, I’ll thank you for sharing the recipe. Will make it tomorrow.
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Actually, we’ve escaped north to Coff’s Harbour to avoid the heat! Go figure that one out, I can’t!!! Enjoy…..
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It tastes better than it looks!😃
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The salad sounds like it tastes delicious and it looks wonderfully colourful!
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I love this kind of flavorful salads, and always wanted to learn a Thai dish. I can not handle fish sauce. 😦 Does it make a lot of difference if I don’t use? Is there a substitute? Thanks, Fae.
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Fae, the secret is to NOT smell the fish sauce. Unfortunately there’s no real substitute, that I know of.
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I don’t know why, I don’t do well with fish sauce… it is more abote the taste than the smell.
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The fish sauce adds saltiness and what the Japanese call umami, a savoury element. You could try pounding a few anchovies with the olive oil, or using a small amount of oyster sauce, then adding a little light soy. If its the salty fishiness that you dislike, Australian vegetarian chef Simon Bryant recommends salted preserved turnip, a common ingredient in Asian grocery stores as a fish sauce substitute. Cut the turnip into fine julienne before adding to the salad.
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This is all very interesting… Thanks!
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I will check my Asian grocery store for the salted preserved turnip. Sounds like what the Japanes call ‘takuwan’, the yellow pickled daikon. Thanks for the info.
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This looks fantastic!!!
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Thanks!!!!
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