Make your own restaurant-style Vietnamese Prawn (or Shrimp) Noodle Bowl and customize it with your choice of crisp veggies, fresh herbs and a traditional Vietnamese dressing. This easy recipe is perfect for meal prep or easy dinners.
Nuoc Cham (Traditional Vietnamese Dressing and Dipping Sauce)
¼cupwater
2- 3tablespoonsweetener (or more, depending on your taste)Use honey, maple syrup, Monkfruit or coconut sugar
¼cuplime juice,freshly squeezed
2tablespoonrice vinegar
3tablespoonfish sauce
2clovesgarlic
1Thai red bird chili
Instructions
Begin by making the Nuoc Cham (dressing) to allow the flavours to blend. Whisk the dressing ingredients in a small bowl or shake in a small Mason jar and set aside.
Place the vermicelli noodles in a large glass bowl, cover with boiling water and allow to stand for one minute. Drain and rinse under cold running water to stop them from softening and becoming overcooked.
Slice the sugar snap peas thinly. Use a spiralizer, a julienne tool, or a sharp knife to thinly slice carrots. Wash and dry herbs, chop if you like, and set aside.
Slice the mango into thin strips and cube the avocado flesh. Toss the avocado with a little lemon or lime juice to prevent browning if you're making this noodle bowl ahead of time.
Heat a grill or large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the prawns for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, just until cooked through. Do not overcook or they will become rubbery. Remove from the heat promptly.
Start with a bed of noodles, then arrange the prawns, peas, carrots, mango, avocado and chopped herbs on top. Sprinkle with chopped roasted cashews or peanuts. Serve with Vietnamese dressing.
Notes
You can prevent noodles from sticking by tossing them with a teaspoon or so of sesame oil.If you don't have a spiralizer, use a vegetable peeler to cut carrots into ribbons and then slice into strips.Traditional Nuoc Cham sauce or dressing recipes call for sugar. You can easily substitute honey, maple syrup, coconut palm sugar, or 0-calorie sweeteners like Monkfruit.Once you make a basic Nuoc Cham sauce, you may find you want to experiment with the flavours a little. Some like it sweeter, some like it with more lime juice, and others like less (or more) heat from chili peppers.