Lao Spicy Rice Vermicelli Salad
This spicy Rice Vermicelli Salad is fresh and flavorful and easy to make, featuring fresh vegetables and an Asian-inspired sauce for mixing in with the noodles.
Ingredients
- 100 grams rice vermicelli boiled
- 1 green papaya/pawpaw you only need half for this recipe
- 1 carrots
- 10 hot chili or as many as you like
- 3 garlic cloves
- 8 eggplant Kermit
- 8 radishes
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 1 lemon or lime
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce padaek/fermented
- 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon MSG (umami seasoning)
Instructions
- Prep all of the ingredients before you start making the salad.
- First, either cook the rice vermicelli in boiling waiter in a saucepan until it is soft and tender, or place it it a large bowl and submerge it in boiled water until it is soft and tender. When it is cooked, strain and let cool down completely.
- Peel half of the green papaya, and then wash it under cold water to remove any excess sap. Shred the peeled half of the papaya with the KOM-KOM miracle knife, or a cleaver/knife. Store the remaining half of the papaya for another dish. Peel and shred the carrot with the KOM-KOM miracle knife.
- Wash and slice the Kermit eggplants. Wash and thinly slice the radishes. Wash the chilies. Peel the garlic cloves. Wash and halve the cherry tomatoes. Quarter the lemon/lime.
- Peel the garlic cloves, wash the chilies, slice the lemon/lime into wedges, halve the cherry tomatoes.
- In a Lao/large mortar, add the chilies, garlic cloves, shrimp paste, salt, sugar and MSG. Carefully pound the ingredients with the pestle to a medium consistency. Be careful so that the ingredients do not splatter into your eyes.
- Add the sliced Kermit eggplants and gently pound to mix into the ingredients. Use a spoon to help mix and stir the ingredients together. Add the shredded papaya and carrot and gently pound to mix into the ingredients. Add the sliced radish and gently pound and mix into the ingredients. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and gently pound and mix into the ingredients. Squeeze in the lemon/lime juice. Add the fish sauce and padaek/fermented fish sauce. Gently pound and stir/mix the ingredients together.
- Taste the salad and adjust the flavour to suit. What you're aiming for is a delicious savoury/salty/sour/spicy mix of flavours. Flavoursome, intense, punchy and funky!
- Then, add the cooled/cooked rice vermicelli, and very gently mix into the ingredients with the pestle and spoon.
- With a large spoon, carefully and neatly transfer the salad and sauce to a serving bowl or plate.
- Serve with cooked meat and fresh leafy vegetables of your choice.
Notes
Recipe courtesy of Padaek.com
Photo courtesy of Pei-Lin Liew
