Vietnamese Salad Plate Recipes

Steps:

• Combine chicken, cabbage, cilantro, onion, and carrot in a large bowl. Set salad aside.
• Mix vinegar, sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, and cayenne pepper together in a separate bowl. Add dressing to the bowl with the salad and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate at least 2 hours for flavors to meld.
• Serve salad topped with chopped peanuts.

Steps:

• Set out the ingredients of your choice on one or more plates or shallow bowls to accompany any meal.;
• Cut the tip off each carrot on a long diagonal. Use a mandoline or other vegetable slicer or a coarse grater to slice the carrots into strips, or use a knife to cut into matchsticks. You should have approximately 2 cups. Place the carrots in a large strainer and set aside. Use the same method to make daikon strips. You should have approximately 2 cups. Add to the carrots in the strainer and mix well with your hands. Sprinkle on the salt and toss to mix. Place over a bowl or in the sink and let stand for 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a nonreactive saucepan, combine the water, vinegar, and sugar and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat; cool to room temperature. Don't cook the vegetables, bathe them. Rinse the vegetables briefly with cold water, then squeeze dry and transfer to a medium bowl. Pour over the vinegar mixture and stir gently with a wooden spoon to ensure all the vegetables are well moistened. Let stand for 1 hour before serving. To serve, lift the salad out of the vinegar bath and mound attractively on a plate.
• Rinse the bean sprouts well in cold water, drain, and place in a large bowl. Add scallions and set aside. Place the remaining ingredients in a nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring with a wooden spoon to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Pour the vinegar mixture over the sprouts and scallions and stir gently to immerse all the vegetables. Let stand at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Drain the bean sprouts and serve mounded on several plates.

Steps:

• Arrange salad bar ingredients in serving dishes and bowls as you prep them: romaine, baby mixed greens, bean sprouts, daikon radishes, carrots, scallions, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, mint leaves, basil leaves, nuts and sweet almond or anise "croutons".
• Heat a grill pan over medium high heat.
• Combine soy and oil in a shallow dish. Add chicken and turn to coat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Drizzle fish with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill chicken 3 minutes on each side. Cut chicken into strips on an angle and pile onto a serving plate. Grill fish 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until opaque. Squeeze lime over the fish and break into chunks as you transfer it to a serving plate.
• Combine all ingredients, except oil, for peanut dressing in a blender. Blend for 30 seconds, then open lid and continue dressing by streaming in oil. Transfer dressing to a serving dish and sprinkle the dressing with a spoonful of nuts from your salad bar to garnish the dish.
• For garlic dressing, whisk vinegar, jelly, garlic, black pepper and chili oil together. Stream in vegetable oil while continuing to whisk. When the oil is incorporated, transfer dressing to a small dish to serve.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix the first 7 ingredients; add chicken and toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, 30 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients., In a large skillet over medium-high heat, stir-fry half the chicken mixture for 4-5 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove from pan; repeat with remaining chicken. Cool slightly., In a large bowl, combine cabbage, cilantro, carrots and chicken; toss to combine. Add peanuts and dressing; toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Remove from heat. Place rice vermicelli in boiling water, remove from heat, and let soak 3 to 5 minutes, until soft. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
• Fill a large bowl with hot water. Dip one rice wrapper in the hot water for 1 second to soften. Lay wrapper flat, and place desired amounts of noodles, shrimp, carrot, lettuce and basil in the center. Roll the edges of the wrapper slightly inward. Beginning at the bottom edge of wrapper, tightly wrap the ingredients. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
• In a small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce with water until desired consistency has been attained. Heat the mixture for a few seconds in the microwave.
• Serve the spring rolls with the warm dipping sauce.