Vietnamese Noodle Salad With Nuoc Cham Sauce
Crunchy, spicy and slightly sweet Vietnamese rice noodle salads are a super easy summer meal. Just cook some rice noodles, add chopped vegetables and herbs, toss with the flavorful sauce, add a protein such as cooked shrimp, sliced duck, chicken or tofu and top with chopped peanuts.
If the heat of summer has you wondering what to prepare for your next meal, a Vietnamese noodle salad is probably one of the easiest meals you can make. The only cooking involved is boiling some water for the rice noodles so you could say that this is the perfect recipe for cooks of all talents.
Cooked rice noodles, thinly sliced vegetables and fresh herbs are tossed with a simple flavorful Vietnamese sauce called nuoc cham. It is a thin sauce with sour, sweet, salty, and spicy flavors made with lime juice, brown sugar, fish sauce, chilies and garlic all of which can be adjusted to your own taste.
There is a bit of chopping involved for the raw veggies but that too is not a problem as precut bags of carrots and cabbage used for coleslaw could be substituted. You might want to grill some chicken breasts or shrimps that would take 10 minutes or less to top the salad or you can add some store bought precooked shrimp or roasted chicken and this salad can almost make itself. Toss everything together and top with the chopped peanuts and you are ready to serve.
Vietnamese Noodle Salad
Serves 2 as main entree, adjust the recipe accordingly
- rice noodles, about 1 c. cooked noodles, per person (I used rice stick)
- 1 c, shredded purple cabbage, Napa cabbage or lettuce
- 1 large carrot, cut into thin matchsticks
- 4 – 6 radishes, depending on size, cut into matchsticks
- 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced
- 3 – 4 green onions, sliced
- 4 – 5 jumbo cooked and peeled shrimp, per person* or protein of your choice
- 3 – 4 Tbsp. chopped cilantro, mint or basil or a combination or a combination of all 3
- 1/4 c. roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
- 1 lime, cut in wedges
- Nuoc Cham Sauce* See recipe below
Prepare the rice noodles according to packet instructions, making sure to stir and separate often to prevent clumping. The cooking time will depend on the type of noodle and brand you are using.
Drain them into the colander of a salad spinner and rinse with cold water to prevent them from sticking together and overcooking. Spin the noodles in the salad spinner to remove the excess water or lay on paper towels. If your noodles are long, you can use scissors to cut them down to a manageable size (makes tossing easier) then place them in a large bowl.
Toss the noodles with half of the dressing then add the vegetables and herbs. Add more sauce and toss again. Top with protein of your choice and chopped peanuts. Serve with lime wedges
Nuoc Cham Sauce
- 3 – 4 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 3 – 4 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 red chili, Thai bird, red jalapeño or serrano, finely minced or 1/2 tsp. dried chili flakes
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 – 3 Tbsp. water ()optional)
In a small bowl, stir all the ingredients together until the sugar is dissolved. Taste the sauce and adjust the flavors to your liking if necessary, by adding more lime juice, sugar or fish sauce to suit your preference. If you want to lighten the sauce add a tablespoon or two of water to taste. Set aside for the flavors to meld.
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I hope you will enjoy this Vietnamese noodle salad with the nuoc cham sauce. What is nice is that it is very adaptable. You can make it your own version by using your favorite vegetables. I’ve served the salad topped with both sautéed shrimp and also with sliced cold duck breast but use what you like. If you don’t care for fish sauce, make the sauce with soy sauce. You could substitute the sugar and fresh chili with a sweet chili sauce if you prefer. It may taste different from mine but isn’t that what cooking is all about…making meals that you and your family enjoy.
These days it’s all about keeping it cool in the kitchen. Your Vietnamese Noodle Salad sounds so appealing, especially the sauce with it’s sweet and tangy tones.
It certainly is Jan! I’m happy to know you like the salad and its sauce, thank you.
I love the sound of this and will try the sauce. I’ve been making my own Asian sesame seed salad dressing lately but I’m definitely going to try this one too for a nice change. Thanks so much Karen. 😋
Hi Miriam, I hope you enjoy the sauce, a sesame seed dressing would be great on this noodle salad as well.
That looks delicious – I’m imagining the tang of lime, fish sauce and chilli and want to eat it now!
Hi Mad Dog, The sauce with its combination of flavors is just what the salad needs to give it some zing.
What a lovely flexible recipe. Perfect for summer evenings.
It truly is a recipe that you can make to your exact taste, Kay.
This sounds just perfect for our 110° weather! I love this Vietnamese salad (I love anything with fish sauce!), and I think Mark and I will make this soon. I can put him to work chopping the vegetables while I laboriously boil the water!
You gave me a chuckle David…sounds like you know how to divvy up the tasks. 😊 I thought about you and all the others who are dealing this the terrible heat. This is a perfect hot weather meal.
I wish Rick liked salad as main course more — we’d have them every night then because I love them. This is beautiful presenatation and sounds delicious!
I have my salad, hubby has his meat and potatoes and everyone is happy! I will be making this one.
Hi Jeanie, perhaps he will like this as he could take more of the noodles and what ever meat you used to top the salad with. I think you might convince him to give this one a try.
Love this salad. Will definitely give it try. Thanks Karen.
Thank you Sunny, I hope you will enjoy the salad.
This is one of my fave summer go-to meals. It is so refreshing and easy to put together. Plus, you can adapt it to whatever you have in your garden or picked up at the farmers market.
I agree with you Carolyn, it is a great summer salad and so easy to make with your favorites.
Looks very appetizing, esp. with those juicy tender duck slices!
angiesrecipes
http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com
Thank you Angie, I think duck goes so well with asian flavors.
This looks delicious! Perfect for summer! I think the sweet and tangy tastes will be perfect. Thank you!
Thank you for the nice compliment Nancy, I think the noodle salad is perfect for our hot summer weather.
I love the photography and the recipe. It looks great. I have rice noodles but need to get the rest..
Thank you very much Amelia, I am happy that you like the recipe and appreciate your compliment about my photos.
Yummy it looks good to me. Keep well. Cheers Diane
Thank you Diane, I think you would enjoy the salad…especially with fresh veggies from the garden.
We have never made a dish like this before, and you made it so easy to follow… it’s now on our list of recipes to make! Thanks, Karen!
Have a great weekend!
Hi Anna, I hope you will enjoy the salad and I appreciate you nice compliment.
Hi Karen,
Vietnamese salads like this are so vibrant in colour and flavour. The fresh flavours really excite the palate.
So very true Gary, the noodle salad is fresh tasting.
Karen, this looks delicious! It looks like the perfect summer dinner. Thank you for sharing!
Happy to share Pam, I thought this was a nice salad to enjoy during our summer heat.
what a beautiful presentation and a perfect Summer meal!
Jenna
Thank you for the lovely compliment Jenna, it is much appreciated.
I love Vietnamese food, and this salad looks so delicious and creative!!.. .Abrazotes, Marcela
Hi Marcela, I appreciate your nice compliment. It is nice to know that you are a fan of Vietnamese food and like the noodle salads.
This is fabulous! Duck, shrimp – you’re right! It all works!
Thank you for your lovely compliment Mimi.
Made this last night, mostly as written, with shrimp, substituted daikon for the red radishes. Very quick and delicious.
Thanks, Karen.
Hi Joe, it makes my happy to know that you tried my recipe and enjoyed it. Thank you for getting back to me, I appreciate it.
this sounds wonderful; i really must make it come summer. hubby doesn’t eat duck but he could have chicken! Yum!
Hi Sherry, chicken would be great in the noodle salad. I hope you both enjoy the recipe.
A splendid salad with all the right ingredients!
What a lovely compliment, thank you Mary.
There is a fair amount of chopping, but it’s so worth it! This is a noodle salad I can eat again again!!
That is what I thought to Thao, definitely worth the chopping. Thank you for your nice comment. 😊
Vietnamese food is always so delicious and includes so many fresh herbs. This recipe sounds amazing.
Thank you Judee, I’m glad you like the recipe for the Vietnamese noodle salad.
This sounds like a fantastic summer salad, Karen! I haven’t played around much with Vietnamese noodles, but the flavors sounds amazing together.
What a pretty salad. And it sounds refreshing! Perfect for this hot weather.
LOVE Vietnamese flavors. What a refreshing collection of delicious ingredients. It’s mouth-watering. 🙂 ~Valentina