Vietnamese Salad

This recipe comes from an old, old, old issue of Canadian Living Magazine. The recipe is actually called Vietnamese Bun but I changed the name to avoid confusion. In Vietnamese, "bun" is pronounced "boon" and refers to a "fresh, light salad of grilled meat, herbs and rice vermicelli". It's very similar to the flavours of Thailand so it's one of my favourites!

Serves 2 entree salads or 4 appetizer salads

Marinade:

8 bamboo skewers, soaked in water or 8 metal skewers
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 green onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch section of fresh ginger, peeled & chopped
1 red Thai chili pepper, sliced
2 tbsp peanut oil
4 tsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sucanat
1 lemon grass stalk, peeled, trimmed and bruised with the back of a knife
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Add marinade ingredients to a shallow glass dish and mix. Set aside.

2. Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap. Use a meat tenderizer to pound the chicken to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut each piece in half lengthwise and place into the dish. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

3. Thread chicken accordion style onto soaked bamboo skewers. Place on oiled grill over medium-high heat. Turn once. Cook for approximately 8 minutes until nice grill marks appear and chicken juices run clear.

Dressing:

2 tbsp lime juice
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp peanut oil
2 tsp gluten free soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 inch section fresh ginger, minced
4 tsp sucanat
1 tsp garlic chili sauce
1/3 cup water

1. While chicken is marinating, whisk together sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

Salad:

8 oz (250g) rice vermicelli noodles
1 5 inch length of cucumber
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup fresh Thai basil, chopped
1/2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
1 cup bean sprouts
1 carrot, julienned
1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts

1. In a large bowl, cover vermicelli with boiling water and soak until tender. Drain and rinse under cold water, ensuring noodles are separated. Blot dry with paper towel. Divide among 4 serving bowls.

2. Cut cucumber in half lengthwise. Cut each half lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips then cut those strips again into 1/8 inch strips.

3. On each bowl. sprinkle vermicelli with basil and mint.

4. In rows, neatly arrange lettuce, cabbage, cucumber, bean sprouts and carrots on top of each bowl.

5. Pull chicken off skewers, if desired, and place on top of each salad bowl. Sprinkle with peanuts and remaining basil and mint.

6. While eating, pour a little sauce at a time over the salad and toss to to combine.

Variations:

- To make it fun, place all the vegetables and garnish on a serving tray and allow each person to dress his/her own salad.
- Skip the salad and just make the chicken for a chicken satay appetizer.
- Use shrimp or beef instead of chicken.
- Add diced red chilies for more heat.