Chrissy (Mrs. John Legend) has two cook books, a zillion social media followers, and two totally adorable tiny children with another on the way. Her Sport’s Illustrated swimsuit cover body doesn’t seem to suffer from her love of cooking and all things delicious. This new recipe just popped up online and is crunchy, slippery and crispy, with a bold spicy sauce. She even has you make your own crispy shallots in the microwave – so easy!
It is full of herbs, chopped and tossed with noodles and the zingy dressing, and topped with the crunchy shallots and peanuts. Perfect with Ina’s Asian Salmon, which we seem to eat every other week. I didn’t have fish sauce, and skipped the jalapeno, but still found it full of bold flavor. My kitchen was a bit of a mess but worth it.
For the Crispy Shallots:
1 cup thinly sliced shallots
1 cup canola oil
For the Rice Noodle Salad:
8 ounces thin rice noodles
3 Tbs. toasted sesame oil
3 Tbs. rice vinegar
2 Tbs. sambal oelek or chili garlic sauce
2 Tbs. lime juice
2 Tsp. fish sauce
1 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup slice scallion greens
1/2 cup thinly sliced mint
1/2 cup thinly sliced basil
1 red jalapeno, sliced (optional)
1/2 cup chopped salted peanuts
Make the Crispy Shallots:
Scatter the shallots evenly over the surface of an 8×8 glass dish. Pour the oil over the shallots and microwave on high until the shallots are browned and crisp, 6-8 minutes. (Begin checking them at 6 minutes, as they can darken quickly.) Remove, strain through a fine strainer, drain the shallots on a paper towel, and season with salt. Reserve the shallot oil for another use.
Make the Rice Noodle Salad:
Place the noodles in a large bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for 4 minutes.( Note: My noodles must not have been as thin as Chrissy’s as the package said soak for 10 minutes which was perfect.) Drain very well, pat dry with paper towels, return to the bowl (make sure you dried it out) then toss with 2 Tbs. of the sesame oil.
Combine the remaining Tbs. sesame oil in another bowl with vinegar, sambal oelek, lime juice, and fish sauce. Toss noodles with half the dressing, then toss with most of the cilantro, scallions, mint, basil and jalapeno if using. Toss with the rest of the dressing, then top with remaining herbs, crispy shallots, and peanuts. Toss and serve immediately. Serves 3-4.
Note: I removed the shallots from the oven at 6 minutes, not quite done, and watched them become brown and crispy in the bubbling oil until they were perfect. Will make them again this easy way for other dishes!
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