Rice Noodle Salad

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is the salad that I promised to share with you yesterday. It is fast and easy to prepare and I like to serve it as part of an Asian-style meal. The ingredient list is spare, but it produces a salad that is a wonderful meal extender and it can be expanded on whim if you want, or need, a more substantial addition to your menu. Because it is such a simple recipe, I wanted to direct you to similar salads developed by other bloggers, so you can see what can be done with a bit more imagination than I managed to muster here. They are all great recipes from great bloggers and I do hope you'll take some time to look at them. Here's my bare bones version of this very common Thai salad.

Rice Noodle Salad...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Gourmet Magazine

Ingredients:
4 ounces thin rice noodles
1/4 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 carrot, coarsely shredded
2 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise
1 cup loosely packed mixed fresh cilantro, mint, and/or basil leaves, torn if large
1/4 cup chopped unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

Directions:
1) Soak noodles in hot water 10 minutes, then drain in a large sieve.
2) Cook noodles in a 4-quart pot of boiling water, uncovered, until tender, about 1 minute. Drain in sieve and rinse under cold water until cold. Drain well and pat noodles dry.
3) Whisk together vinegar, sugar, fish sauce, and salt in a large bowl until sugar and salt are dissolved. Add noodles, carrot, scallions, herbs, and peanuts, tossing to combine. Yield: 4 servings.

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Bobby Flay - Vietnamese-Rice Noodle Salad
New York Times - Cold Rice Noodles with Grilled Chicken and Peanut Sauce
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Vanilla and Spice - Spicy Rice Noodles Salad with Tofu
Ellie May - Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad
food52 - Asian Rice Noodle Salad with Calamari and Herbs
Big Girls Small Kitchen - Rice Noodle Bowls with Cashew Sauce and Seared Tomatoes
Simply Recipes - Korean Spicy Cold Noodles
Seattle Food Shed - Sweet and Tangy Rice Noodles
Eating Well - Rice Noodle and Edamame Salad
The Perfect Pantry - Rice Noodle Salad with Shrimp and Scallions

One Year Ago Today: Tricolor Peppers and Wild Rice Salad

Two Years Ago Today: Cauliflower Soup

Three Years Ago Today: Cucumber and Feta Dip

Chow Fun

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Once signs of spring appear, the heavy soups and stews of winter lose their appeal to me, and my thoughts move on to lighter brighter fare. I do a great deal of Asian-style cooking at this time of year and my battered old wok, which has been tucked away for most of the winter, is moved to a more prominent and accessible location. I had a taste for Chinese or Thai food today, so, I got online and placed my first order of the year for exotics not locally available, and then walked to the Asian market to explore and poke around at a leisurely pace. When I found blocks of fresh rice dough I knew immediately what our dinner would be. The Silver Fox and I have a weakness for Chow Fun, a Cantonese dish whose name literally means "stir-fry the noodles". The noodles can be difficult to find, so, when they are available I waste no time, and, following the injunction, do indeed, "stir-fry the noodles". Before going any further, I'm going to beg the indulgence of my Asian friends, because my recipe, and what I laughingly call my technique, bear no resemblance to anything they've ever seen in their kitchens. I promise you the dish will be delicious, but it certainly is not authentic, except maybe in an Irish kind of way. For years I had a problem cooking fresh rice noodles. They literally would disappear on me because I followed recipes that had them cook for too long a time and they would disintegrate. I overcame the problem with a technique all my own. Rice dough comes in brick-like packages that are cut into strips or ribbons. The ribbons must be softened before the noodles can be stretched and separated. I've found that microwaving the noodles solves the problem. I use the defrost cycle for 1 minute and the regular cycle for 30 seconds and the combination gives me noodles that can be easily separated and need no further cooking. They go into the wok only to be warmed and seasoned. I use a small amount of pork or chicken in this dish and add snow peas and sprouts for color and texture. This is mildly flavored. If you want your dish to have heat, I suggest you offer hot sauce or chilies at the table. This dish is really easy to make and I know that those of you who try it will be pleased. Here's the Irish version of Chow Fun.

Chow Fun...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup oyster sauce oyster sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or medium-dry Sherry
6 to 8-ounces thinly sliced pork loin or chicken
14 to 16-ounces fresh rice noodles, cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips
1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 lb snow peas, trimmed
4 scallions, cut into 2-inch-long julienne
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 2 teaspoons water
1/2 cup fresh mung bean sprouts
A few drops of Asian sesame oil

Directions:
1) Stir together 1-1/4 cups stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and rice wine.
2) Place sliced meat in a bowl and toss with half of marinade. Set aside.
3) Place noodles in microwave bowl, lightly cover and heat, using defrost cycle, for 1 minute. Then cook for 30 seconds on HIGH power. Separate noodles, then toss with 1 teaspoon oil. Set aside.
3) Heat a wok over high heat until a bead of water dropped onto cooking surface evaporates immediately. Add remaining 1/4 cup oil, swirling wok to coat evenly, and heat until it just begins to smoke. Drain meat and stir-fry until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add noodles and toss to mix. Add snow peas and scallions and stir-fry until snow peas are bright green and crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Add garlic, and ginger and stir-fry 1 minute longer.
4) Add reserved marinade from step 1 and, stirring, bring to a boil. Add remaining 1/4 cup stock. When mixture boils, stir cornstarch mixture and add to wok, then boil, stirring, until sauce is thickened and noodles are well coated, about 30 seconds. Stir in bean sprouts and remove wok from heat. Season with sesame oil and pepper. Serve immediately. Yield: 2 to 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Orange Chicken with Cashews - My Gourmet Connection
Three Teacup Chicken - Simply Recipes
Sichuan Chicken - CuisinEats
Fried Pork and Crab Spring Rolls - Adora's Box
Dragon Chicken - Expat Recipes
Chinese Hot Pots - A Spicy Perspective

Courgette and Noodle Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Extremely hot or cold weather is very unusual in the area where Bob and I live. Folks to the north and south of us seem to bear the brunt of seasonally bad weather, but every so often, usually after we've been smug about how pleasant it is here, Mother Nature and the prevailing winds choose to assert their authority and we either freeze or sizzle. We are sizzling now, and, if the long term forecast is to be believed, we'll be well-done or over-cooked before the weather breaks and we're comfortable again. I made a quick run to the market before dinner to pick up some rotisserie chickens, only to find there were none left. The gal at the counter apologetically chalked it up to the heat. Laziness, rather than the heat had led me to the deli counter, so I had to smile. I don't mind cooking in this weather, but I have found the heat affects my appetite. I need less and lighter food when the temperature climbs. I had fashioned a new, light salad that turned out well, so I was looking for a protein extender to keep my favorite carnivore happy and at the table. Fortunately, there were shrimp aplenty at the fish market and the dinner menu was set. I'm really excited about the salad. I hope you will try it and enjoy it as much as we did. I'd really like some feed back should you decide to make it. Be sure to follow the instructions that come with your rice or bean thread noodles. They can turn to mush if you let them soak to long. The rest of the recipe is a cakewalk, especially if you have a julienne peeler like the one that can be seen here. The salad is very easy to do, though I would suggest you make it several hours before you plan to serve it. My inspiration was the summer squash that is beginning to appear in markets throughout our area. This really warm weather assures that there will be plenty of it for the remainder of the summer. This recipe guarantees we'll eat our share of it and the squash won't go to waste. If you, too, share your table with a confirmed carnivore, shrimp or chicken would be a wonderful extender or accompaniment. Here's the recipe.

Courgette and Noodle Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 (8-oz. each) zucchini, julienned
2 (8-oz. each) yellow crookneck squash, julienned
2 ounces fine rice or bean thread noodles (i.e. saifun), soaked, drained and rinsed
Dressing
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons shredded onion and juice
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon poppy seeds, divided use

Directions:
1) Place squash and noodles in a large bowl. Toss well to combine. Set aside.
2) Combine sugar, salt, lime juice, mustard, onion and juice, oil and 2 teaspoons poppy seeds in a small bowl. Whisk to dissolve sugar and combine all ingredients.
3) Pour half of poppy seed dressing into another large bowl. Add squash mixture and toss to coat with dressing. Add remainder of dressing as required to coat, but not drown, mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill for at least 3 hours, tossing occasionally. To serve, drain and transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with reserved teaspoon of poppy seeds. Yield: 6 - 8 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Cucumber and Tomato Salad - One Perfect Bite
Corn Salad with Edamame and Tomatoes - One Perfect Bite
Bulgur Salad with Pomegranate Dressings - One Perfect Bite
Roasted Radish and Greens Salad - White on Rice Couple
Sesame and Ginger Coleslaw - Closet Cooking
Summer Tortellini Salad - The Sisters Cafe