Thai Noodle Salad
Source: Recipe from Chef Seth Bixby Daugherty
This Thai-inspired noodle dish is full of wonderful flavors and textures. Spicy and full of a selection of vegetables, tofu and shrimp make it superb.
Ingredients
Thai sauce:
1⁄2 cup sesame oil
1⁄4 cup gingerroot, minced
1⁄4 cup shallot, minced
1⁄4 cup garlic, minced
1⁄2 cup soy sauce
1⁄2 cup sweet Thai chile glaze
2 tsp. Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
2 bunches cilantro
2 stalks lemon grass
12 kaffir lime leaves
Ginger peelings
1⁄2 habañeropepper
1⁄2 cup tofu, finely diced
4 lb. thin rice noodles, cooked
1⁄4 cup vegetable oil
40 medium-sized shrimp
1⁄4 cup red bell peppers, finely diced
1⁄4 cup carrots, finely diced
1⁄2 cup tomatoes, chopped
1⁄2 cup zucchini, finely diced
1⁄2 cup yellow squash, finely diced
1⁄2 cup scallions, sliced
2 cups roasted peanuts, chopped
Steps
1. For sauce, heat oil in large pan and cook ginger, shallots, and garlic until translucent.
2. Add soy sauce, chile glaze, and fish sauce and cook for 10 min.
3. Wrap individual cheesecloth packets filled with cilantro; lemongrass and lime leaves; and ginger peelings and pepper.
4. Add 1 gall. water and reduce by half. Allow packets to sit in sauce up to two days. Remove packets and squeeze remaining liquids into sauce.
5. Fry tofu; separate noodles into 6-oz. portions.
6. In a large pan, heat vegetable oil until hot but not smoking and cook remaining ingredients 3-4 min. Combine sauce and vegetable, and simmer for 2 min. Garnish with bean sprouts, peanuts, cilantro oil, and a scallion flower.