Cold noodle salads are great for beating the summer heat in a delicious way. Glass noodles are the generally popular choice here if you want to go gluten-free. But you can achieve the same result using rice noodles too. Just add a generous heap of fresh spring veggies and bring the taste together with a lip-smacking sweet n sour tahini-lime dressing. Here is the full recipe for this easy-to-make, versatile salad.
Ingredients (2-4 servings)
For the salad:
• Rice noodles, 8 ounces
• Shitake mushrooms with stems removed, cleaned and chopped, 6 ounces
• Spinach, chopped, 4 cups
• Carrots, julienned, 4 medium-sized
• Cilantro, chopped, ¼ cup
• Mint leaves, chopped, ½ cup
• 2-3 stalks of green onion, minced, 3 tbsp.
• Olive oil, 1 tbsp.
• Lime wedges
For the dressing:
• Tahini, 2 tbsp.
• Good quality fish sauce, 3 tbsp.
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced, 2 tbsp.
• 1 Serrano or any other chili of choice, finely minced, 2 tbsp.
• Lime juice, freshly squeezed, 3 tbsp.
• Sugar, 3 tbsp.
• Water, 6 tbsp.
Preparation
• First make the dressing and set it aside. To prepare the dressing, take garlic, sugar, chili, and lime juice in a small bowl and combine well. Then whisk in the tahini, fish sauce, and water. Adjust the amount of water as per your desired consistency. Taste and adjust the sugar, chili, or lime accordingly. This dressing sauce can be stored in the fridge for several days in an air-tight container.
• Next, cook the rice noodles following the given instructions on the packet. Drain the cooked noodles, rinse well with cold water, and drain once more.
• Meanwhile place a small skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add olive oil. Then add the chopped mushrooms and 2-3 tbsp. of the prepared dressing. Cook for 5 minutes until the mushrooms become soft.
• Put the cooked and drained noodles in a salad bowl, and toss with several tbsp. of dressing. Toss the spinach separately with a tbsp. of dressing and set on top of the noodles. Add the veggies and minced green onion. Finally, top with warm mushrooms and another drizzle of dressing. Squeeze a dash of lime just before serving the rice noodle salad.