Vietnamese Shrimp Vermicelli
This is the perfect way to use up some of the fresh herbs and lettuce growing in my garden. I stopped trying to grow things that have not yielded me much success over the years like zucchini and tomatoes, likely due to not having enough full sun.This is a super quick meal to make as the shrimp cooks so quickly. It’s perfect for summer as it keeps the kitchen cool. You can definitely use chicken, pork or beef instead. See my lemongrass beef recipe for a similar meal.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound raw shrimp deveined and shelled
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 6-8 cloves garlic
- ½ Thai chili thinly sliced
For the Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup warm water
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ Thai chili thinly sliced
For Serving
- 16 ounces rice vermicelli noodles
- 4 leaves lettuce shredded
- ½ cucumber sliced
- 1 tomato cut into wedges
- Fresh Thai basil leaves
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Fresh mint leaves
- Roasted peanuts
- Fried shallots
Instructions
- Prepare the rice vermicelli by soaking the noodles in room temperature water for at least 15 minutes and prepare the remaining ingredients.
- In a medium bowl, combine raw shrimp with fish sauce. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Stir in lime juice, fish sauce, garlic and chili. Set aside.
- In a large frying pan on medium low heat, add a tablespoon oil. Add garlic and chili. Let cook for a minute or two, stir frequently and make sure it does not brown.
- Add the shrimp. Let sear on one side for 45 seconds to a minute. Flip them over and sear the other side. Cook until just cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- Blanch individual portions of the noodles in boiling water for 3-5 seconds each and place into individual serving bowls. Divide shrimp evenly and spread on top of the rice vermicelli. Top with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, Thai basil, cilantro, mint, peanuts and fried shallots. Serve with dipping sauce on the side. Or serve family style and let each person make their own plate.