What's better feeling that sampling a light and refreshing dish on a hot summer day?

The key to this dish is to gather the freshest ingredients and to be creative with the flavour combinations.

Here’s what you’ll need to make this delicious noodle salad from Vietnam:

• Noodles. Vietnamese noodle salads usually call for rice noodles, that are naturally gluten free, so this recipe can be easily tailored for gluten intolerants. You can use both Vermicelli (traditional) or flat rice noodles available both in most shops, Asian markets or online.
• Fresh Vegetables & Herbs. Use the freshest and high quality ingredients you have available. You can pick & mix pretty much everything you enjoy to eat raw and (ideally) pick at least one colour for each colour group, to make this salad more interesting nutritionally, and also very pleasant to the eye.
  A few examples are: lettuce, carrots, cucumber, bean sprouts, edamame beans, cabbage, peppers,
  You can also enrich it with a bunch of nuts such as: peanuts, almonds, cashews and so on, for both a protein intake boost and crunchy texture.
• Nước chấm sauce. If you're not familiar with it, nuoc cham is a typical Vietnamese dipping and dressing sauce with salty, sweet, sour and spicy flavours. Since the traditional version contains fish sauce that is, obviously, not suitable for vegans, we are going to make it from scratch!

2. Prepare the Noodles and Vegetables for the Salad

Next, you'll need to prepare the noodles. Boil a pot of salted water and add the noodles. Cook "al dente" for roughly 5 minutes, or according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drizzle the noodles with some vegetable oil, then set aside.

Chop chop, it's time to prepare the vegetables! Start by chopping up some fresh bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, and red cabbage. Slice the vegetables into thin strips or ribbons, if you like, and set aside.

3. Make the Delicious Dressing for the Salad

Making the perfect dressing for your salad can be a tricky endeavour, but it doesn't have to be! With a few simple ingredients and a bit of passion, you can create a delicious dressing that will take your salad to the next level.

To make our vegan version of the Vietnamese nuoc cham sauce you'll need a few ingredients:
- Brown Sugar
- Vegan Fish Sauce. You can find this online or make your own following my recipe for homemade vegan fish sauce.
- Water
- Lime Juice
- Rice Vinegar (or white)
- Garlic Cloves
- Chilli Pepper

Begin by combining the sugar, vegan fish sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar and water in a medium bowl. Add the minced garlic and finely chopped red chilli peppers. Whisk until all the ingredients are nicely combined.

4. Assemble the Salad for a Refreshingly Delicious Vietnamese Noodle Cold Salad

Now it’s time to assemble the salad. In a large bowl, combine the cooked noodles, cucumber, carrots, bell pepper, cilantro, mint, and green onions. Toss everything together until evenly mixed.

To finish off the salad pour the vegan nuoc cham dressing over the noodles and vegetable and toss to coat.

Your Vietnamese noodle cold salad is now ready to serve! Serve it as a side dish or as a light lunch. Enjoy!

Vegan Vietnamese Noodle Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

...for the noodles...
100 g Rice Noodles (I used flat)
1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil (sunflower)
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
...for the dressing (vegan nuoc cham sauce)...
2 tablespoon Brown Sugar
¼ cup Vegan Fish Sauce
⅓ cup Water (cold)
½ Lime Juice
2 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
1 Red Chilli (de-seeded and sliced)
...for the salad...
½ Romaine Lettuce (optional)
1 Carrot (julienned)
¼ Red Cabbage (finely sliced)
1 Red Bell Pepper (julienned)
⅓ Cup Edamame Beans (raw or steamed)
½ Cucumber Ribbons
...to top...
Sesame Seeds (black + white)
Fried Onion
Fresh Herbs (mint, basil, coriander)

Method:
1.To begin, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the noodles and the salt. Cook as per packaging instructions (about 5 minutes). Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water. Toss the noodles with the vegetable oil and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine together the sugar, vegan fish sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar and water. Add the minced garlic and finely chopped red chilli peppers. Whisk until all the ingredients are combined.
3. In a large bowl or individual serving dishes, add the noodles and all the (chopped) veggies: lettuce, carrot, bell pepper, red cabbage, edamame, cilantro, mint and basil.
4.Top with sesame seeds, fried onions and herbs of your choice.
5. Pour the dressing over the top and toss everything together until the salad is evenly coated.
6. Serve the Vietnamese Noodle Salad immediately. Enjoy!