Skip to main content

Vietnamese Noodle Salad

For a richer dressing, add half a cup of coconut milk and a couple of tablespoons of peanut butter to the dressing.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4

Ingredients

8 ounces wide rice noodles

Dressing

1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 teaspoon Chinese chili paste, or to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil and/or cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cucumber
1 carrot
4 scallions
4 ounces seasoned tofu
Toasted peanuts

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large covered pot of salted water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the noodles, rinse with cold water, and drain again.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. (For a smoother dressing, purée in a blender.) Prepare the vegetables and tofu and add them to the bowl with the dressing: Peel, halve, and seed the cucumber, and then cut the halves into 1/4 inch-thick crescents. Peel the carrot and cut it into matchsticks. Slice the scallions on the diagonal. Cut the tofu into matchsticks. Add the noodles to the bowl and toss well. Serve at room temperature, sprinkled with peanuts.

  2. Serving & menu ideas

    Step 3

    Change the menu with the seasons: Serve with cool, crunchy Pan-Asian Slaw (page 212) in the summer and with savory Indonesian Sweet Potato & Cabbage Soup (page 122) when it’s cold outside.

Cover of the cookbook Moosewood Simple Suppers with a red floral motif.
From Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers: Fresh Ideas for the Weeknight Table. Copyright © 2017 by Moosewood Collective. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC. Buy the full book from ThriftBooks or Amazon.
Read More
Khao niaow ma muang, or steamed coconut sticky rice with ripe mango, is a classic in Thai cuisine—and you can make it at home.
With just a handful of ingredients, this old-fashioned egg custard is the little black dress of dinner party desserts—simple and effortlessly chic.
With rich chocolate flavor and easy customization, this hot cocoa recipe is just the one you want to get you through winter.
This classic 15-minute sauce is your secret weapon for homemade mac and cheese, chowder, lasagna, and more.
A slow-simmering, comforting braise delivering healing to both body and soul.
Crunchy and crowd-pleasing, this salad can be prepared in advance and customized to your heart’s content.
Make this versatile caramel at home with our slow-simmered method using milk and sugar—or take one of two sweetened condensed milk shortcuts.
Summer’s best produce cooked into one vibrant, silky, flavor-packed dish.