Description
This vegan bún chay noodle salad is packed with fresh vegetables, aromatic herbs, noodles, and tofu and finished with an easy dressing. It’s the perfect refreshing and quick dish to enjoy during the warmer months.
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 1 long red chilli,* finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3–4 tablespoons coconut sugar*
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup / 105ml boiling water
- 2 tablespoons / 25ml tamari (or soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoons / 25ml lime juice (approx. 1 lime)
Noodles:
- 100g / 3.53 ounces vermicelli noodles
Vegetables:
- 1 small carrot, julienned
- ½ small red bell pepper / capsicum, thinly sliced
- ½ Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced (or English cucumber)
- 2 loosely packed cups cos / romaine lettuce, chopped (measured after slicing)
Tofu:
- Neutral oil, for frying (I use avocado oil)
- 250g / 8.82 ounces firm – extra firm tofu, sliced
- 2 tablespoons / 25ml tamari (or soy sauce)
Toppings:
- Mint leaves, chopped (or Vietnamese mint)
- Cilantro / coriander, chopped
- Crushed peanuts
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Dressing: To a small heatproof bowl, add the minced garlic (2 cloves) and chilli (1), coconut sugar (4 tablespoons*), sea salt (1 teaspoon), and boiling water (½ cup). Mix well until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Add in the tamari and lemon juice (2 tablespoons of each), and stir well. Set aside for it to cool.
- Noodles: Prepare the vermicelli noodles (100g / 3.53 ounces) according to the packet instructions. Make sure you drain them really well.
- Vegetables: Julienne the small carrot, thinly slice ½ a small red bell pepper / capsicum, and ½ a cucumber. Loosely measure 2 cups of the chopped lettuce. Set it all aside ready for assembling.
- Tofu: Add enough oil to the pan to just cover the surface and put it on medium heat. Once hot, pan-fry the sliced tofu (250g / 8.82 ounces) on either side for around 4-5 minutes until slightly golden brown. Turn the stove off and pour over the tamari (2 tablespoons), and place a lid on to trap the heat. After a minute, turn the tofu over to cover it in the tamari. Let it slightly cool before slicing.
- Toppings: While the tofu is frying, chop the mint leaves and cilantro / coriander. We like to pack it with herbs; however, feel free to adjust how much you use to your liking.
- To serve: Divide the vermicelli noodles, veggies, tofu, herbs, and crushed peanuts between two bowls and pour over the dressing. Add a wedge of lime and serve immediately.
Notes
Chilli: If you’d like more heat, you can swap the long chilli for a Bird’s Eye / Thai chilli.
Coconut sugar: I like to use coconut sugar because it has more complex flavours and suits this dish. You can swap it out for regular granulated sugar; just keep in mind that you won’t have a nice deep colour with your dressing. For this dish, we like the dressing to be on the sweeter side. You can adjust the sugar levels to your liking.
Tofu: If you’d like something with a more authentic flavour, you can swap the tamari tofu for this lemongrass tofu.
- Diet: Vegan
