For 16 years, Sarah Glover has made a career as a chef in Tasmania, Sydney and New York. These days she is rarely found in a kitchen—the outdoors is where she applies her trade now. Her work has been published through her cookbook, "Wild Adventure," and featured in Cherry Bomb, New York Times, and Delicious Magazine.
This salad is super light and refreshing, and can be eaten either warm or cold. Between the fire-roasted mushrooms, delicate vermicelli noodles and sliced vegetables, there are so many different flavors and textures.
There’s a lot you can personalize about this recipe, too. Any type of mushroom will work, but the bigger the better since you’ll be cooking them over a fire (bigger mushrooms are easier to flip on a grill). The Nuoc Cham sauce can also be tailored if you’re looking for something sweet, spicy or citrusy—just add a little more sugar, chili or lime juice. I highly recommend using fresh limes for the sauce, as the natural oils and juices make for a much better flavor. Fresh lemons will also work.
Don’t let the long list of ingredients intimidate you—this salad is not hard to make and won’t take you a long time to prepare (especially if you chop and prep your vegetables beforehand). Plus, you can make it communal and have everyone build their own personal salad!
Mushroom marinade
- 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, bruised and thickly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or minced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (not dark soy)
- 2 tablespoons soft brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Nuoc cham
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 red bird’s eye chilli, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
Noodle bowls
- 3 handfuls of mushrooms, such as portobello or field
- 7 oz vermicelli noodles
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 carrots, julienned
- 2 Lebanese (short) cucumbers, julienned
- 4 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
- 5 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
- 3 cups bean sprouts
- handful of mint leaves
- handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves
- sliced red chilli, to serve (optional)
- lime wedges, to serve (optional but recommended)
Cooking Tools
Method
- Combine the mushroom marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the mushrooms and toss to coat in the marinade, then set aside for at least 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, light your fire and let it burn down for about an hour until you obtain a medium heat.
- Remove the mushroom from the marinade, shaking off any pieces of lemongrass, then transfer to a grill grate placed 15 cm (6 in) above the coals and cook low and slow, turning occasionally, for 15–30 minutes. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes, then thinly slice the mushrooms.
- Combine the nuoc cham ingredients and 1/2 cup of water in a bowl and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Taste and adjust the spicy, sour and sweet flavours to your liking. Set aside for at least 20 minutes.
- Soak the vermicelli noodles in a large bowl of hot water for 3 minutes or according to the packet instructions, then drain and rinse under cold water to stop the noodles sticking together.
Drizzle over the oil and toss through. Place the noodles, sliced mushroom, vegetables, herbs and sauce in separate bowls or pile them onto platters (keep the sauce in a bowl), then invite everyone to make their own bowls!
- To serve, place some noodles in a bowl, top with the vegetables, herbs and sliced mushroom and drizzle a few tablespoons of nuoc cham over the top. Finish with sliced chilli and lime wedges, if desired.
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