Vietnamese Noodle Salad

In keeping with my Thai cravings, I've been digging through my recipes to find any recipes that are almost remotely Thai... and have decided that Vietnamese is close enough to Thai to serve my cravings. So I just whipped up a batch of this to take in our lunches this week.

This recipe was given to my by my Aunt Liz, though it is originally one of Bonnie Stern's recipes. This recipe is great for my family, as everyone can eat it - nut and wheat free. As such, it makes a great addition to family camping trips. When camping, we usually leave out the chicken, so that we don't have to be super concerned about the keeping of it in the cooler. Otherwise, I always add the chicken in for some protein.

1/2 lb. spaghettini or rice vermicelli
1 lb. cooked diced chicken
1 English cucumber, chopped
1 grated carrot
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
3 green onions
1/2 C fresh cilantro (as always, I don't recommend leaving this out)

Lemon Sesame Dressing:
1 garlic clove
1 tsp. minced ginger
3 tbsp. Thai fish sauce
2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
3 tbsp. lemon juice
3 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. hot Thai sauce or 1/2 tsp. hot chili paste
1 tbsp. sesame oil



You can find Thai fish sauce and hoisin sauce in the Asian section of well-stocked grocery stores. Otherwise, you can definitely find both in Asian specialty grocery stores.

If you make this in advance, toss it with dressing at the last minute. Garnish with peanuts and coriander if there are no allergies.