Vermicelli Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 Package of Vermicelli rice noodles, 200g

Juice of 1 lime, plus more if needed

1 red chili or jalapeño (2 tsp of red chili flakes)

3 green onion, chopped

1 red pepper, cut into thin strips

Large handful of cilantro leaves

1/2 cup red onion, cut into thin strips

3/4 cup of unsalted peanuts, toasted in a dry frying pan for a few minutes

1 package of raw shrimp, 30-40 count, deveined and tails off

2 cloves of large garlic clove, minced

oil

Directions:

Step 1: Place the rice noodles in a large bowl and add boiling water. Set aside and allow the noodles to cook for a few minutes. Drain the noodles.

Step 2: For the sauce, take the red chili and bash and grind it with a mortal and pestle or some other device like a Jamie Oliver Flavour Shaker. Add the lime juice and mix well. If using red chili flakes just mix together the lime juice and flakes. Set aside

Step 3: To cook the shrimp, season raw shrimp with kosher salt and fresh black pepper and minced garlic. In a large frying pan, over medium heat, spray with a little bit of oil and when hot, add the seasoned shrimp. Cook for 1 minute and flip over and cook for another minute. Shrimp does not take long to cook and when it's over cooked, it gets rubbery, so don't let the shrimp over cook!

Step 4: Mix together the noodles, cilantro, cooked shrimp, peanuts, green onions and red bell pepper. Squeeze lime juice all over and add the chili flakes. If you are using a fresh chili, bash the chili with a mortar and pestle and add. Taste to see if you need to add more lime juice.

** To give this dish even more depth of flavour, when peeling the shells off the shrimp, add to a frying pan with some water and boil. After a few minutes, strain this mixture, leaving behind flavourful water to add to this dish.

Recipe Courtesy of Candace MacKay-Thomas

Candace's Original Recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 Package of Vermicelli rice noodles, 200g

Juice of 1 lime

1 red chili or jalapeño

2 green onion, chopped

Large handful of cilantro leaves

2 tbsp of Thai fish sauce*

2 tbsp of rice wine vinegar

pinch of white sugar

1 tomato, seeded and cut into strips

1/2 cup red onion, circle cut

3/4 cup of unsalted peanuts, toasted in a dry frying pan for a few minutes

1 package of shrimp, 30-40 count, deveined and tails off

1 large garlic clove, minced

oil

Directions:

Step 1: Place the rice noodles in a large bowl and add boiling water. Set aside and allow the noodles to cook for a few minutes. Drain the noodles.

Step 2: For the sauce, take the red chili and bash and grind it with a mortal and pestle or some other device like a Jamie Oliver Flavour Shaker. Add the lime juice, sugar, rice wine vinegar and fish sauce to the red chili.

Step 3: To cook the shrimp, season raw shrimp with kosher salt and fresh black pepper. In a large frying pan, over medium heat, spray with a little bit of oil and when hot, add the seasoned shrimp. Cook for 1 minute and add garlic. Flip over and cook for another minute. Shrimp does not take long to cook and when it's over cooked, it gets rubbery, so don't let the shrimp over cook!

Step 4: Mix together the noodles, cilantro, cooked shrimp, peanuts, green onions and then pour the sauce over. Taste to see if you need to add more lime juice.

** To give this dish even more depth of flavour, when peeling the shells off the shrimp, add to a frying pan with some water and boil. After a few minutes, strain this mixture, leaving behind flavourful water to add to this dish.