nuoc

These noodles are inspired a dish a chef I worked for in Philadelphia often made for lunch during the summer.

If you like video, you can watch a how-to in Instagram stories.

Notes:

Nuoc cham is a spicy, sweet, sharp condiment ubiquitous at nearly every Vietnamese meal. When using it as a dipping sauce, as here, you can omit the water.

In place of shrimp or other meat (see story above), I made Sarah Jampel's crispy sesame tofu on Food52 ages ago and absolutely loved it. I adjusted the recipe here slightly for simplicity: instead of using 2 teaspoons soy sauce, I use 2 teaspoons of the nuoc cham dressing, and I omit the sesame oil. If you wish to follow her original recipe, do so here. For some visual guidance on pressing tofu, see this post.

If tofu isn't your thing, grilled or sautéed shrimp would be delicious as would really any protein you like: I'd serve them with grilled chicken thighs, skirt steak, or pork tenderloin, to name a few.

I like to slice cucumbers on a mandoline, but if that scares you, simply slice them thinly using your knife. Carrots or radish or daikon would all be nice here, too. A sprializer is a good tool for this as well and also less scary than using a mandoline.

Rice Noodles with Nuoc Cham, Herbs, &amp; Crispy Tofu

sugar

fish sauce

lime juice,

garlic

red Thai chilies

water

Sriracha,

14-oz block extra-firm tofu, pressed if you have time

2 teaspoons nuoc cham dressing, see notes

corn starch

panko

sesame seeds

oz dried rice noodles

cucumber

basil

nuoc cham dressing

crispy tofu

Make the nuoc cham dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, fish sauce, and lime juice until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the garlic, chilies, and 1/4 cup of the water. Add Sriracha, if using. Taste and adjust flavors if necessary with more lime, hot chilies, and the remaining 1/4 cup water if desired. Set aside.

To make the tofu: Heat the oven to 400° F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes and place in a bowl. Add the oil, nuoc cham, corn starch, panko, and sesame seeds, and stir to coat. Spread the tofu onto the baking sheet, leaving excess dressing behind. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and crisp on top and bottom.

To assemble the noodles: Fill a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. Boil according to package instructions, typically 4-6 minutes. Drain and rinse until cold water. (Notes: To prevent sticking, you could toss the noddles in a few drops of sesame (or other) oil). Transfer noodles to a large bowl. Add the scallions, cucumbers or other vegetables, herbs, and dressing to taste. Toss. Add more dressing if necessary. Add tofu or other protein and toss again.

This is the best simple dish I’ve eaten in a very long time.  My husband went bananas for it too. Made it for lunch today and already planning to eat it again tomorrow. Thank you!

wow.....!this looks fabulous and sooo yummy....and many colorful, I can't wait to try make this noodles....Thanks for sharing....!

Alex, I’ve recently become determined to try all of the recipes that I’ve so often earmarked from your website but never gotten around the making.

Verdict on this: OMG the tofu is insane. Probably the best tofu I’ve ever had — I don’t think I’ll ever cook it any other way now. That crispy crunchy exterior is phenomenal.

As for the whole dish, it was really lovely although I would reduce the amount of water added to the nuoc cham next time for a bit more kick. 

Also, to someone’s point about the noodles sticking together I find a little toasted sesame oil added just after running them through the cold water does the trick. 

Thanks for constantly sharing such amazing recipes with us — you have such a natural talent for food (and it’s presentation). I don’t think any of your recipes have ever been a dud! I can’t say that about any other blog or cookbook.

This is SO GOOD. It takes longer to prep than we're usually willing to put into a dinner, but we never regret making it! Per the Food52 tofu recipe, we'll also do the mushrooms (usually just cremini), and they also add a lot to the dish. I could eat this everyday!

Bánh mần dè hay còn gọi là bánh dè được làm từ bột của cây dè .cây này có ở campuchia và bột thì được nhập về an giang nên bánh này chỉ có ở an giang và rất ít người làm .thấy đẹp nên mình mua về làm ,bánh ăn giòn nhẹ giống giống rau câu #bepvang #monngontubot

Bánh mần dè

g bột mần dè

g đường thốt nốt

nước

g đậu xanh

g đường

Xíu muối

Nước cốt ăn kèm

Nấu đậu chín xay nhuyễn cho 30g đường và xíu muối xay mịn chia làm 16 viên nhân ép dẹp lại xong đi nấu nước cốt ăn kèm. Bắt đầu làm bột cho nửa lượng nước quậy tan với đường, phần còn lại quậy với bột xong cho 2 thứ quậy chung đem lược vì bột làm từ cây nên còn sót chút ít

Để sẵn chén nhỏ và nhân gần chỗ bột khuấy vì bột rất mau đặc vì mình làm một mình.từ khi mở lửa thì không được ngưng tay khuấy sẽ óc trâu.khuấy đến khi thật trong.múc 1mc cho vào chén cho miếng nhân lên rồi cho 1mc bột lấp nhân lại làm hết được 16 chén. khoảng 30 phút bánh nguội lấy bánh ra,bánh tróc lóc cho vào dĩa chan nước cốt lên

Bánh giòn nhẹ ăn với nước cốt thơm mùi đường thốt lốt và bùi bùi của đậu xanh

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