Vietnamese Summer Roll Salad

A few weeks back I got an email from a kind reader, Anita. She reminded me how useful a print option would be on the site so you can, with just a click, print my full recipes to save and cook with. So…drum roll…we have a print option! Simply click on the blue recipe post title, scroll to the bottom of the recipe, and use the “print friendly” button. What I loved the most was Anita’s shared words of wisdom:  “I am 77 he  is 80 and I cook every night – the secret to a 57 yr marriage.” Cheers to that.

This Vietnamese Summer Roll Salad was inspired by The Egg Roll Lady. My family has been buying her cold rolls at the West Tisbury Farmer’s Market forever. They are the perfect summer lunch or beach snack – refreshing, light, and flavorful. We always seem to eat them over greens and covered in peanut sauce (Nick still remembers the first time he visited my parent’s house and was taken aback by their five bottles of different peanut sauces in the fridge).

You can craft this salad however you’d like but here is what I threw in:

FOR THE SALAD:
Rice noodles, cooked and cooled
Iceberg lettuce, sliced into thin ribbons
Big handful fresh cilantro, chopped
Big handful fresh mint leaves, chopped
Beansprouts
Sesame Seeds
1-2 chicken breasts or thighs, poached and shredded
curry powder
1 lime, cut into wedges

FOR THE PEANUT DRESSING:

1/4 cup sesame seeds,

1/4 cup peanut butter

5 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon hot sauce

5 tablespoons hot water

photos from my instagram

First, make the dressing but whizzing everything together in a blender. Set aside.

Prepare all the salad fixings by cooking and cooling the noodles (toss with oil to avoid sticking), chopping the lettuce and herbs, and poaching the chicken. When you’re ready to assemble, toss the poached shredded chicken with salt and curry powder (add curry to your taste as curry powders differ in heat and flavor so use your judgement).

To put the salad together, fill a large bowl with lettuce, top with a pile of noodles, sprinkle on herbs, chicken, bean sprouts, and sesame seeds. Toss in lime wedges and drizzle liberally with peanut dressing.