....Did I mention I like Asian food?
I really could try a new Asian restaurant every day. This would be financially irresponsible of me, though, seeing as I will be on a student budget in one month. So, one of my goals is to be able to cook all different kinds of Asian foods to keep my wallet happy. While I grew up eating Japanese and Thai food, I only recently discovered my affinity for Vietnamese food. The flavors are bold and fresh, yet light at the same time.
This dinner is inspired by one of my favorite meals to order at Vietnamese restaurants, Bun Vermicelli. This dish consists of a big bowl of vermicelli rice noodles, topped with raw vegetables, usually carrots, cucumber, and bean sprouts and mint. I decided to drench mine with a homemade peanut sauce. Because everything is better with peanut sauce, am I right? To make it a little lighter, I used half zucchini noodles and half vermicelli noodles as the base. This is a perfect meal for a warm summer night that won't leave you feeling weighed down.
Vermicelli Bowl with Peanut Sauce
(serves 2)
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
1/4 cup water
1/8 cup plus 1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 - 1 1/2 tbsp sriracha, depending on how spicy you like it
(makes enough sauce for leftovers)
4 cups water
4 oz vermicelli rice noodles
1/2 small cucumber, spiralized or chopped finely
1/2 carrot, spiralized or shredded
1/2 small zucchini, spiralized
1 beet, peeled and shredded
chopped fresh mint
1. Boil the water and add the noodles for 8-12 minutes until cooked.
2. Meanwhile, chop/spirialze all the vegetables.
3. For the sauce, blend all ingredients together in a blender (I used a magic bullet).
4. When noodles are finished cooking, rinse with cold water for 30 seconds.
5. Toss rice noodles with zucchini noodles, and serve cool topped with vegetables and mint. Drizzle a generous amount of peanut sauce and toss to combine. Goes well with extra sriracha.
I chose not to include a protein in this dish, but if you wanted to bulk it up, it would be excellent with crispy pan fried tofu or tempeh.
I really could try a new Asian restaurant every day. This would be financially irresponsible of me, though, seeing as I will be on a student budget in one month. So, one of my goals is to be able to cook all different kinds of Asian foods to keep my wallet happy. While I grew up eating Japanese and Thai food, I only recently discovered my affinity for Vietnamese food. The flavors are bold and fresh, yet light at the same time.
This dinner is inspired by one of my favorite meals to order at Vietnamese restaurants, Bun Vermicelli. This dish consists of a big bowl of vermicelli rice noodles, topped with raw vegetables, usually carrots, cucumber, and bean sprouts and mint. I decided to drench mine with a homemade peanut sauce. Because everything is better with peanut sauce, am I right? To make it a little lighter, I used half zucchini noodles and half vermicelli noodles as the base. This is a perfect meal for a warm summer night that won't leave you feeling weighed down.
Vermicelli Bowl with Peanut Sauce
(serves 2)
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
1/4 cup water
1/8 cup plus 1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 - 1 1/2 tbsp sriracha, depending on how spicy you like it
(makes enough sauce for leftovers)
4 cups water
4 oz vermicelli rice noodles
1/2 small cucumber, spiralized or chopped finely
1/2 carrot, spiralized or shredded
1/2 small zucchini, spiralized
1 beet, peeled and shredded
chopped fresh mint
1. Boil the water and add the noodles for 8-12 minutes until cooked.
2. Meanwhile, chop/spirialze all the vegetables.
3. For the sauce, blend all ingredients together in a blender (I used a magic bullet).
4. When noodles are finished cooking, rinse with cold water for 30 seconds.
5. Toss rice noodles with zucchini noodles, and serve cool topped with vegetables and mint. Drizzle a generous amount of peanut sauce and toss to combine. Goes well with extra sriracha.
I chose not to include a protein in this dish, but if you wanted to bulk it up, it would be excellent with crispy pan fried tofu or tempeh.