Description
This Thai basil recipe is a spring roll—in bowl form! It’s an explosion of flavor: tangy lime, fresh herbs, and crisp veggies.
Ingredients
Scale
For the noodle bowl
- 1 recipe Marinated Tofu or Pan Fried Tofu (or substitute cooked chicken)
- 7 ounces rice noodles (or your favorite noodles; we used large, flat noodles)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 English cucumber, diced
- 2 medium carrots, shredded (using a handheld julienne shredder is helpful)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh Thai basil
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint and cilantro
- Crushed peanuts, for garnish
For the Sweet Garlic Lime Sauce (makes 1 1/4 cups)
- 1/4 cup grated carrot (1 medium)
- 1/2 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
- 1 small clove garlic, grated
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sambal olek
Instructions
- Make the protein: Make the Easy Marinated Tofu, Pan Fried Tofu, or your favorite cooked chicken recipe.
- Make the sauce: Grate the carrot. Peel and grate the ginger and garlic. In a medium bowl, combine the carrot, ginger and garlic with the rice vinegar, lime juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, and sambal olek.
- Cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions (you’ll likely pour boiling water over them and wait until they’re tender!). Rinse them under cool water when cooked.
- Prepare the vegetables: Dice the pepper. Dice the English cucumber. (If you use a normal cucumber, you may want to peel it first.) Shred the carrot.
- Serve: Toss the noodles with the tofu, veggies and the desired amount of sauce: we used about 1/4 cup per serving. You can put the entire recipe in a large bowl, or make little individual servings and toss with the desired amount of sauce and veggies. Garnish with chopped peanuts on top.
Notes
*Make ahead instructions: Make the tofu in advance and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Make the sauce in advance and refrigerate up to 1 week. Cut the veggies in advance and refrigerate 1 to 2 days (they can dry out if you go any longer).
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Raw
- Cuisine: Southeast Asian
