Dressed with a tangy nước chấm and topped with peanuts and shallots – it’s a satisfying salad for all seasons. Once assembled, make sure you mix everything up real good to get all the flavours. These are moments your mouth will remember.

Ingredients

• 200g Vermicelli rice noodles
• 1 Lettuce, butter lettuce works well, cut into shreds 
• A handful each of finely chopped mint and coriander (or other Asian herbs, such as Vietnamese mint, shiso, perilla or Vietnamese balm)
• 1 cucumber, julienned 
• 2 cups bean sprouts 
• Chopped roasted peanuts, for garnish
• Fried shallots, for garnish
• Sliced fresh chilli, for garnish

Pickled Carrot and Daikon

• 1 large carrot, julienned
• 1/2 cup daikon, julienned 
• 100ml white vinegar
• 100ml warm water3 tsp of sugar 

Combine all ingredients and set aside (at least 30 minutes, the longer the better)

Nuoc cham

• ½ cup warm water

• 2 tbsp sugar

• ¼ cup fish sauce, replace with soy sauce if vegan

• ¼ cup white or rice vinegar 

• 2 tbsp lime juice

• 1 minced chilli, according to desired spice level

Combine sugar and warm water until dissolved and add remaining ingredients. Adjust seasoning to taste. 

Lemongrass Marinade

• 250g Fable

• 3.5 tbsp King Brand Vegetarian Mushroom Oyster Sauce (This is available in the Asian section at Woolworths, but if you can’t find substitute this with 4 tbsp of coconut aminos, found in the health section of the supermarket)

• 1 tbsp tamari/soy sauce

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 1 tbsp lemon juice/ juice of ½ a lemon (skip the lemon juice if using coconut aminos) 

• 1 tsp maple syrup/ sugar 

• 30g/3 tbsp (aprox 1 stalk, white part) fresh lemongrass (substitute with lemongrass powder if you can’t find fresh stalks)

• 1 brown onion, cut in half, thinly sliced lengthwise

• 3 cloves garlic minced