Vietnamese Summer Salad

I have been to a few Vietnamese restaurants in my time, and there is a dish that they have, I know it as B14 from the menu (as one of my colleagues ordered this dish a couple of years ago) that is really delicious. I took a stab at making, what I call the Vietnamese summer salad, last week. This cold salad is really easy to put together, is healthy in ingredients, and packs a punch in flavor.

Ingredients:

• Rice Noodles (I used Bihon)
• Shredded Carrots
• Thinly slicked cucumbers
• Thinly sliced green onions
• Chopped Lettuce, I used Romaine
• Sweet, Sour, and Spicy Sauce (see below)
• Thinly sliced bbq pork (optional)

For the bbq pork, I used boneless pork chops and marinaded them in soy sauce, brown sugar, fresh garlic, black pepper, and sherry cooking wine. Let the pork chops marinade for three to six hours before grilling and slicing.

To cook the noodles, I simply bring a large pot of water close to a boil, placing the noodles in the hot water until tender, careful not to overcook. Drain, rinse the noodles with cold water and set aside.

As your water is boiling, this is the time to prepare all of your vegetables, keeping in mind to thinly slice everything.

For the sauce, bring the following to a boil, then let simmer until thickened.

Sauce Ingredients:

• 6 tbs white vinegar
• 4 tbs of water
• 4 tbs of white sugar
• pinch of salt
• 4 cloves of chopped garlic
• 2 Thai peppers, more if you want a spicier flavor

To prepare the salad, add an amount of noodles to the bottom of your serving bowl, add some sauce to the noodles, then add your vegetables and pork. Add more sauce to the top, then dig in. This salad packs freshness and taste and is perfect for the summer. Enjoy.