Cambodian Noodle Salad
When I visited Cambodia a few years ago, I remember being struck by the numerous food stalls in markets and street-side eateries. Cambodians love to snack and this light crunchy noodle salad is a popular street food.
The recipe is courtesy of Gustav Auer & Sok Chhong and Friends International who compiled the astonishing cookbook From Spiders to Water Lillies: Creative Cambodian Cooking with Friends.
I’ve taken the liberty of substituting sweet potato noodles for thin rice noodles because I love their slippery chewy texture. You’ll find them at supermarkets in the Asian aisle or at Asian grocers.
Inroduction
About this Recipe
By: Sheridan Rogers
In Kampot province, this salad is eaten by putting a lettuce leaf in one hand and filling it with rice noodles, spooning over some pounded sun-dried shrimp and then dipping it all in the coconut dressing: very messy, but tastes wonderful.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- dried sweet potato noodles, 200g
- dried shrimp, 2 tablespoons, soaked in warm water for 5 -10 minutes
- roasted peanuts, 2 tablespoons, chopped
- coconut cream, 3 – 4 tablespoons
- sweet & sour sauce (Lee Kum Kee), 3 tablespoons
- fresh lime juice, 1 teaspoon
- fresh bean sprouts, topped and tailed, a handful
- small cucumbers, 2, sliced lengthways then into half moon shapes
- fresh mixed herbs (Thai holy basil, mint, coriander), a handful
Garnish: - sliced red chillies, Asian shallots, peanuts and dried shrimp
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and cook the sweet potato noodles for 8 minutes.
Drain and run under cold water. Shake off excess water and snip into shorter lengths with scissors.
Toss the noodles gently together with the remaining ingredients. Check balance of flavours and adjust to taste: there should be a delicate balance between saltiness, sweetness and sourness.
Garnish with sliced red chillies, shallots, peanuts and dried shrimp.
To serve: spoon small portions into crispy Cos lettuce leaves, if liked.