South Asian influenced Glass Noodle Salad

There are such clean irresistible flavours in this Salad and it is so easy to make.  You could add some barely blanched sugar snaps or Mangetouts for more green business or even some roasted peanuts if you’d prefer.  In Vietnam, I’m told, meals are served with bunches of fresh herbs arranged on the table so that you can readily pick herbs that you need to add to your meal.  What a sensational idea!

For our lunch, Maggie and I added poached prawns. Peanuts would be a good add too!

1/2 c lime juice

½ c fish sauce

1 small red chilli, thinly sliced

4 T castor sugar

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

5 cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely julienned

½ c finely chopped coriander stalks (and some leaves too)

4 T sesame oil

1 large green pawpaw or papaya or green melon, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced

4 celery stalks, very thinly sliced on the diagonal

Coriander leaves

400g glass noodles soaked

Put the glass noodles into a bowl and pour over boiling water to cover.  When the noodles are transparent, drain and pour over some cold water while the noodles are in a colander.  Pour the cooled drained noodles into a Salad platter.

Put the lime juice, fish sauce, chilli, sugar, garlic, julienned ginger and coriander stalks into a bowl and mix until the sugar has dissolved.  Add the sesame oil, papaya or melon and celery and mix well.

Arrange the salad on top of the noodles and mix through briefly so that the noodles get all the great nam chouc-like dressing.  Sprinkle with the coriander leaves.