VIETNAMESE-LIKE BEEF NOODLE SALAD
This refreshing, gluten-free salad is full of flavour – delicious! It’s perfect for hot weather, but we eat it year-round. Serves: 6-8
500g ground beef (96%)
1 tsp ground ginger
3 cloves garlic
2 Tab rice vinegar
1 Tab tamari, coconut aminos or fish sauce
Optional: 1 tsp onion powder and 1 tsp ,
Optional: pinch or two of red pepper flakes
Add more coconut aminos/tamari/fish sauce, and vinegar to taste
Sauce/Dressing
Scant ¼ cup honey or ¼ cup xylitol. Other options: Allulose, or organic white sugar
½ cup hot or warm water
½ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup fish sauce
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
Scant 1 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salad
340g dried pasta *
2 cucumbers
3-6 spring onions
2 large bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
1 bunch of cilantro
Optional: a few handfuls of (Thai) basil
4 cups shredded or thinly sliced cabbage
* We usually use brown rice noodles, but I also tried this with 8 ounces of cassava noodles for a grain-free option. Both worked! But the cassava needs to especially be eaten right away as it will get mushy if left to sit.
Step 1. Make the sauce by first stirring together the hot or warm water with the sweetener of choice. Add the rest of the ingredients. Set aside.
Step 2. Prep the vegetables: Peel the cucumbers, cut into small wedges. Seed & thinly slice the sweet bell peppers. Thinly slice cabbage, chop spring onions (removing the top 2″ and discarding), and wash the cilantro, remove the stems & chop.
Step 3. Cook pasta according to box directions, but make sure you salt well. While the pasta cooks make up the ground beef, adding the seasoning as it cooks, and stirring frequently.
Step 4. Drain the pasta once just tender, and rinse with cold water. Drain well. Add to a large bowl with the vegetables, and then toss with the dressing.
Step 5. Serve right away. You can also add more rice vinegar & fish sauce to add more flavour if needed. Over time, the noodles will start absorbing the sauce, so, if needed, you can add a bit more vinegar and either tamari, coconut amino acids, or fish sauce, to taste.