Vietnamese spring noodle salad

6 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
Water for boiling
½ pounds Quarter inch rice sticks (imported from Thailand)*
2 cups Fresh snow peas; trimmed
16 mediums Shrimp; shelled
1 Clove garlic; minced
1 Shallot; minced
⅔ cup Fresh lime juice
½ cup Fish sauce*
½ cup Water
4 tablespoons Sugar
½ teaspoon Red pepper flakes
2 Bibb lettuce heads; leaves separated, rinsed and patted dry
3 Carrots; peeled and grated
3 cups Fresh mung bean sprouts
1 cup Diced cucumber
2 Scallions; trimmed and thinly sliced
1 cup Fresh mint leaves
¼ cup Fresh cilantro; roughly chopped; 1/4 to 1/2 cup

Directions

* Available in Asian grocery stores Bring one large pot and one medium-size pot of water to a boil. Drop the snow peas into the medium-size pot and cook for about 10 seconds (they will turn bright green). Remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and rinse under cold water.

When the water in the medium-size pot has returned to a boil, add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes, or until opaque. Drain, and rinse shrimp under cold water. Set aside.

Add the rice noodles to the large pot of boiling water. Boil for 4-5 minutes, drain, and rinse under cold water.

In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, shallot, lime juice, fish sauce, ½ cup water, sugar, and pepper flakes until the sugar is dissolved. Divide the dressing into four small bowls.

Pile the lettuce leaf "cups" in the center of a large platter.

Surround the lettuce with separate mounds of carrot, bean sprouts, cucumber, scallion, mint. cilantro, snow peas, noodles, and shrimp.

Give each person a plate upon which to put a lettuce leaf cup. Fill each lettuce cup with a tiny bit of ingredient, drizzle with the dressing, and roll up in the shape of a cylinder.

Serves 4-6. 289 calories per serving; 5% calories from fat; 2g total fat; 1g saturated fat; 35 mg cholesterol; 14g protein; 57g carbohydrates; 805 mg sodium; 5g fiber.

"MealMasterized" by Mary Ann Young from June 1995 issue of _Walking_ by food writer Victoria Abbott Riccardi.

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