This Vietnamese-inspired noodle salad is such a delicious lunch or dinner on a hot summer day. Rice noodles get combined with ribbons of carrot, cucumber, and napa cabbage and tossed in a light and bright dressing. Be sure to top with lots of fresh herbs (highly recommend using basil and/or mint!), crunchy peanuts, and your choice of protein – I recommend either this week’s Sweet n’ Salty Tofu or the Miso Honey Garlic Grilled Chicken from last year.
Ingredient Highlight
Fresh herbs! All fresh herbs contain essential oils that aid in digestion, improve circulation, reduce the risk of heart disease, and phytonutrients that fight inflammation (to name a few!).
Read my full blog post about fresh herbs here!
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 15 minutes 
Cook Time 6 minutes Ingredients
- 8 oz rice noodles
- ½ head napa cabbage, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced (about 5 cups)*
- 1 cucumber peeled, then peeled into ribbons (about 2 cups)
- 1 large or 2 small carrots, peeled, then peeled into ribbons (about 2 cups)
- 2 cups loosely packed basil, mint, and/or cilantro, torn or chopped
- Sweet n’ Spicy Pan-Fried Tofu (see recipe)***
- ½ cup toasted peanuts, chopped
- Sriracha (optional)
For the dressing:
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- *I like the pad thai noodles (medium thickness), but you could use a thinner noodle. See substitutions section for other options.
- **You could also use thinly sliced romaine hearts in place of napa cabbage if you can’t find it.
- ***Or use 2 cups of cooked protein, cut into bite-sized pieces (shrimp, baked tofu, chicken, steak, etc…). This Miso Honey Garlic Grilled Chicken would be delicious chopped up and added on top.Rice noodle cooking tip! To see if your noodles are cooked, take a couple out of the pot and run them under cold water, then bite into it. If it’s hard at all and not cooked through then keep boiling. Sometimes it tastes cooked through when it’s hot, but when you run it under cold water it clearly isn’t.
Instructions
- Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Once cooked, drain and rinse with cold water and set aside or transfer to a large bowl.
- In a large bowl, add the noodles, cabbage, cucumber, and carrot.
- In a jar with a lid, add the dressing ingredients and shake to combine. Pour ¾ of the dressing into the bowl and toss everything to coat.
- Serve topped with protein of choice, lots of herbs, peanuts, a drizzle of the remaining dressing, and sriracha (if using).
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Cook 8 oz rice noodles
- Thinly slice ½ head napa cabbage(about 5 cups)
- Peel 1 cucumber, then peel into ribbons (about 2 cups)
- Peel 1 large or 2 small carrots, then peel into ribbons (about 2 cups)
- Make the dressing
- Make the salad
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian/vegan, substitute soy sauce or tamari for the fish sauce.
- Use thinly sliced romaine hearts in place of napa cabbage if you can’t find it.
- Substitute rice noodles with soba noodles, udon noodles, or even spaghetti.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Enjoy leftovers right out of the fridge. Make sure to toss them again as the dressing will be on the bottom and it will be a bit watered down from the cucumber. Top with all the toppings.
- Top leftovers with a boiled or fried egg and sriracha.
leave your comments!