This light and refreshing vermicelli glass noodle salad with strawberries is everything a spring salad should be: packed with flavor, vibrant, and nourishing! Glass noodles are tossed with strawberries, cucumber, spring onion, mint and cilantro, and then tossed in delicious asian-style vinaigrette made with fresh chilli, miso paste and roasted sesame oil.
Inspired by my favorite Vietnamese salad
This salad gets its inspiration from one of my favorite lunch time dishes: Bún Chay — a light and refreshing Vietnamese salad made with glass noodles, fresh vegetables and herbs in a tangy rice vinegar dressing. The perfect lunch bowl! And with strawberries in season now, this was the perfect time to create a light and refreshing salad, à la Elle Republic.
The dressings is key to this glass noodle salad
To make this crave-worthy salad, not only do you need the best quality fresh ingredients, but you also need a killer vinaigrette. And this one is made with a combination of Japanese rice vinegar, a little unrefined sugar, sea salt, umami-rich miso paste, fresh chili, toasted sesame oil and a little of my go-to olive oil. Add all the ingredients to a bowl, whisk until combined, and there you have a dressing that takes this glass noodle salad to a whole new tasty level. Next comes the noodles.
What are glass noodles?
Also known as vermicelli, cellophane or bean thread noodles, glass noodles are transparent noodles that, when cooked, are transparent like glass. They are made from starch (such as a combination of pea starch with mung bean or green bean starch, there are even ones made from sweet potato starch). They are easy to prepare, you just soak them in boiling water for a few minutes. I use my kettle to prepare the boiling water and simply pour it over a bowl with the noodles and they are ready in minutes. Drain and away we go! Rice noodles can also be used — they taste great — but they tend to be stickier than the slippery glass noodles.
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Check out my recipe archive for more asian-inspired recipes!
Glass Noodle Salad with Strawberries & Cucumber
This light and refreshing Asian-style glass noodle salad is simply the best! This flavourful salad is made with strawberries, cucumber, spring onions and fresh herbs which are tossed in delicious miso-sesame dressing. Perfect main meal salad for 2 (or side for 4) that is also suitable for a vegetarian or vegan diet.
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 4 tablespoons rice vinegar (Japanese)
- 2 teaspoons mascabado sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons shiro miso paste
- 1 fresh red chili, seeded, membrane removed and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons roasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
For the salad:
- 200 g glass noodles (vermicelli)
- 2 mini cucumbers or 1/2 english cucumber, seeded and thinly sliced
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 400 g strawberries, halved (or quartered if large)
- handful fresh mint leaved, finely chopped (1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons)
- 1 small bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
- white and black sesame seeds, to garnish
Method
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In a small bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, sugar, salt, miso paste, chili, and both oils until well-combined. Set aside.
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Cook the vermicelli glass noodles according to package instructions (3-5 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well.
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Transfer the glass noodles to a bowl, and toss with the dressing.
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Add the remaining ingredients (cucumbers, green onions, strawberries and herbs) and toss gently to combine.
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Divide among two serving plates, garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy!
Notes
- Shiro miso paste is lighter in color and has a shorter fermentation time. Sweet and mild it is perfect for dressings. It can be found in asian food stores or your local organic food store. I use Bio Shiro Miso from Arche Naturküche.
- I always use an unseasoned Japanese rice vinegar from OTAFUKU which is also used for preparing sushi rice. It can be found in Asian food stores or ordered online.
- Vermicelli glass noodles, also called cellophane noodles, can also be found in Asian food stores.
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