This quick and simple cold noodle recipe is immensely satisfying and perfect for a quick lunch or dinner when you’re short on time but craving great flavours. It’s also a handy way to use up ingredients from your fridge or store cupboard.
Read our full review of Vietnamese Vegetarian by Uyen Luu.
Quick and Lazy Drenched Cold Noodles (mì trộn)
This is a delicious and easy way to prepare a super-fast lunch on busy days and great to use up things you have sitting around in the refrigerator and store cupboard. Make sure your garlic and shallot oil is nice and hot. I like to use a cold-pressed rapeseed oil but feel free to use vegetable or sunflower oil. If cooking for a crowd, prep all the bowls and only do the final pouring of hot oil when ready to serve.
Servings 2
Ingredients
- 100 g (3½ oz) flat rice noodles, or cooked ramen noodles
- 1 small round shallot, sliced
- 2 tablespoons rapeseed (canola) oil
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons crispy chilli oil
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1½ teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon black vinegar or cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- Handful (around 20 grams ¾ oz) of coriander (cilantro) leaves
- 30 g 1 oz garlic chives (optional)
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly sliced
- 2 teaspoons hot Maggi liquid seasoning (optional)
Instructions
- Rehydrate the noodles by placing them in a bowl or container with a lid and pouring just-boiled water from the kettle over them. Cover for at least 4 minutes. Check if they are cooked and continue to cover if not. When done, drain in a colander and rinse with hot tap water until the water runs clear of starch. Then place a lid on the colander to dry out. This fluffs up the noodles.
- In a small frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat, add the shallot and oil, and gently cook for about 3 minutes before turning off the heat. Between two small noodle bowls, divide the sesame seeds, crispy chilli oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, black vinegar, sesame oil, coriander and garlic chives, if using.
- Going back to the pan of oil and shallots, turn the heat to high and add the garlic. Cook for 2 minutes until golden and the oil is bubbling. Then pour the hot garlic and shallot oil into each of the prepared bowls, before adding the noodles.
- Serve immediately; the fun is mixing it all up with chopsticks as you eat. Feel free to squirt over hot Maggi liquid seasoning, if using, and further dress your bowl with your favourite condiments.
You can find more Vietnamese recipes here.
And if you’re hankering for noodles, find all the noodle recipes here!
Recipe from Vietnamese Vegetarian by Uyen Luu published with permission from Hardie Grant. Book photography by Uyen Luu.
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