Vietnamese Herb & Noodle Salad with Shrimp

The Phaidon Nutri Blast – Vietnamese Herb & Noodle Salad with Shrimp

This tasty, healthy dish, as featured in Simple & Classic, is great to make while working from home

Many of us are finding it difficult to come to terms with the restrictions placed on us by the Coronavirus. However, you really don’t need to let things slip in the kitchen. There are plenty of easy, healthy dishes you can try out if you’re working from home.  

Take, for instance, this Vietnamese salad, as featured in the masterful cook Jane Hornby’s book, Simple & Classic. It only takes ten minutes to prepare, and packs in the wonderful taste of Vietnamese summer rolls, yet skips the noodle wrappers, as these are often “very hard to find”, writes Hornby. 

"This recipe uses all the same flavors but has rice noodles instead of the wrappers,” she explains, adding, “the salad goes wonderfully with shredded cooked chicken and pork, too.” 

Here’s what you need: 2 oz (50 g) thin rice noodles; ½ cucumber; 2 carrots; a handful fresh mint; a handful fresh cilantro (coriander); a lime; a tbsp of nam pla (Thai fish sauce); a tbsp of light brown sugar; a small hot red or green chile; a clove garlic; ½ small iceberg lettuce; 5 oz (150 g) whole cooked large shrimp (prawns). 

Boil a saucepan or kettle of water. Put the noodles into a large heatproof bowl and pour plenty of just-boiled water over them to cover. Let stand for 5 minutes, until softened and just tender. Thicker noodles take more time to soak than thinner ones so check the package instructions.

Prepare the vegetables and herbs while you wait. Thinly slice the cucumber, then cut into sticks. Coarsely grate or shred the carrots. Pick the leaves from the mint and the cilantro (coriander). Tear any larger mint leaves. Then enjoy.

 

Simple & Classic by Jane Hornby
Simple & Classic by Jane Hornby

 

For a little bit of extra info on making this, as well as many other great recipes, order a copy of Simple & Classic by Jane Hornby here. The book is collection of the very best of Jane Hornby's recipes from the bestsellers What to Cook & How to Cook It, Fresh & Easy, and What to Bake & How to Bake It. The beauty of Hornby's recipes is how easy they are to perfect – with detailed step-by-step shots and stunning images of the finished dishes. Find out more here.