Name: Vietnamese prawn salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 16 medium green prawns; 125 gm rice vermicelli; 1 bunch snake beans, trimmed, cut into 5cm lengths; 1 small red chilli, coarsely chopped; 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped; 30 gm palm sugar, coarsely chopped; 30 ml fish sauce; 30 ml lime juice; 30 ml rice wine vinegar; 40 ml vegetable oil; 2 green onions, thinly sliced diagonally, placed in iced water until curled; 1½ cups each (loosely packed) Vietnamese mint, Thai basil, coriander sprigs; To serve: fried shallots (see note)

Vietnamese prawn salad

Gourmet Fast with Emma Knowles

Serves 4

Prep

15M

Cook

Total

20M

Ingredients

16 medium green prawns

125 gm rice vermicelli

1 bunch snake beans, trimmed, cut into 5cm lengths

1 small red chilli, coarsely chopped

1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped

30 gm palm sugar, coarsely chopped

30 ml fish sauce

30 ml lime juice

30 ml rice wine vinegar

40 ml vegetable oil

2 green onions, thinly sliced diagonally, placed in iced water until curled

1½ cups each (loosely packed) Vietnamese mint, Thai basil, coriander sprigs

To serve: fried shallots (see note)

Method

Main

1.Peel and clean prawns (intestinal tract removed, tails intact) and set aside.

2.Place vermicelli in a heatproof bowl, pour over boiling water and stand until soft (4-5 minutes). Drain, rinse under cold running water, then cut into shorter lengths using kitchen scissors and set aside.

3.Blanch snake beans in boiling salted water until just tender (2-3 minutes), drain, refresh in iced water and drain again. Add to vermicelli and set aside.

4.Pound chilli, garlic and palm sugar with a mortar and pestle to a smooth paste. Stir in fish sauce, lime juice and vinegar and adjust to taste (the dressing should be a balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet). Set aside.

5.Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add prawns and cook, turning once, until opaque and just cooked through (2-3 minutes), then add to noodles.

6.Drain green onions well, add to prawn mixture with herbs. Drizzle over dressing, toss to combine and serve immediately scattered with fried shallots.