Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad

There is something living in one of the legs of our dining room table. 

We have never seen it, but we hear it daily. It sounds like it is steadily gnawing its way from the inside out.  And it scares me.

I am convinced that this creature is some sort of Vietnamese monster insect {the table has a sticker underneath that says  “Made in Vietnam”}, and that it is going to eventually make its way out of the table and into our living room where it will breed millions of babies and invade the United States, upon which we will be deported for starting a nation-wide infestation.  Either that or it will decide to crawl up my leg while I am sitting at the table and I will die of sheer terror.  Neither scenario sounds like a good one to me.

I had to restrain myself from taking audio footage of this noise and posting it to see if any of you can help me figure out what it is that has made it a mission to devour our table and annoy the hell out of me. I’ll spare you since it isn’t all that interesting to listen to {and for fear that you’d report me for insanity harboring an alien}.

I decided that making Vietnamese food for dinner might pacify whatever it is that has decided to take up residence in our table leg. Perhaps the aromas of its native land will lull it into a state of restful slumber. On the other hand, I hope it doesn’t perceive the dish as an offering and invitation to join us.

Either way, this strange incident inspired me to make a mighty tasty meal.

This Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad is flavorful, easy, and pretty healthy, too. In our house, that constitutes a winner. The combination of the fresh herbs {Mint?! Who would’ve guessed?}, fish sauce, and garlic is unusual but delicious. The original recipe calls for one whole jalapeno {which intimidated me a little because I’d rather keep all of my tastebuds in tact}, but after making it with only half I decided that next time I’ll definitely add the rest for a spicy kick. I also added in some shrimp for extra substance and protein. I served it warm but it can be eaten cold as well.

Hope you’ll enjoy a little taste of the exotic… without experiencing a run in with any native creatures. 😉

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad

• 1/2 pound peeled, deveined shrimp
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed {I only used 1/2}
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice {about 2 limes}
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 pound dried rice vermicelli {I used these noodles}
• 2 carrots, julienned
• 1 cucumber, halved, peeled, seeded and sliced into thin halfrounds
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 cup finely shredded napa cabbage
• 1/4 cup chopped dry roasted nuts
• olive oil