Back from a lovely vacation in Vietnam! The food inspiration was amazing; they seem to add fresh herbs and spices in to every dish, which makes it burst with flavour, even the street food. Love it!

 

On that same note I threw together a simple, fresh, yet filling dish the other night. The base consists of rice noodles and stir-fried veggies, the creaminess is due to a tahini (sesame seed paste/butter) sauce and the freshness is thanks to the fresh herbs and grated cucumber.

So here’s what you need (serving 2 people):

 

1 package of Rice Noodles (to make it even healthier, choose brown rice noodles)

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Sesame Oil

1 tablespoon Grape seed Oil (manages high temperatures very well making it a relatively healthy choice but you can substitute it for any other oil)

1 splash of Apple Cider Vinegar

1 tablespoon Soy Sauce (I use gluten free)

1 inch Fresh Ginger

3 small Red Chillies

1 clove Garlic

2 Scallions

1 Yellow Squash/Zucchini

1 medium sized/large Carrot

1 large Red Pepper

6-7 Bok Choy (Asian cabbage)

1 Cucumber

1 Lime

Sesame Seeds

3 tablespoons Tahini (sesame seed paste/butter)

1 handful Fresh Mint

1 handful Fresh Coriander/Cilantro

 

 

Here’s how you do it:

 

Start with frying the chopped chillies, chopped ginger, minced garlic and chopped scallions in the grape seed oil and half of the sesame oil. Add the diced zucchini and stir for about 2-3 minutes, then add shredded carrot and pepper. After another 2-3 minutes, add bok choy, a splash of apple cider vinegar, soy sauce and the rest of the sesame oil. Make sure to keep an eye on the stir-fry as you don’t want the veggies to be over cooked and loose it’s crunchiness.

 

In the meantime bring about 1 litre water to boil and pour over the rice noodles (in a separate bowl) so they are covered with water and let sit until wanted consistency is reached, about 3-4 minutes.

 

Pour off the water and mix the noodles with the olive oil, the tahini and a pinch of salt, then add the stir-fried vegetables and divide in two bowls or soup plates. Squeeze 1 half lime over each plate and mix with the fresh mint and coriander. Finish it of by sprinkle the sesame seeds and adding the grated cucumber and Voila!

Thưởng thức! (= enjoy in Vietnamese)

 

Cissi