Cold Pork Rice Noodles With Cucumber And Peanuts Recipes

RICE NOODLES WITH SPICY PORK AND HERBS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil, and cook noodles according to instructions. Drain noodles while running under cold water, until they are cool to the touch. Set aside. Mix dressing by whisking rice vinegar, soy sauce, black vinegar, chile oil and sugar until sugar dissolves. Set aside.
• Cook the pork topping: Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat, and add ground pork and salt. Pan-fry, breaking meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until no pink parts and no liquid remain in the pan, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and scallion whites, and stir occasionally until the raw smell has disappeared and the meat is starting to brown in places, about 5 minutes. Add the vegetables, if using, along with a tablespoon of water, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes more, or until mixture is darkened and thick. Set aside.
• When you're ready to serve, divide cool, drained noodles into four individual bowls, and top each with a tablespoon of vinegar dressing followed by a pile of ground pork, herbs, peanuts and radishes, to taste. Serve with any remaining garnish, and additional chile oil and chile-oil solids, on the side.

COLD RICE NOODLES WITH COCONUT MILK, PEANUTS AND LIME

Steps:

• Cook noodles in a large saucepan of boiling water according to package instructions until tender but still chewy. (They'll firm up when cool, so you want to cook them to softer than al dente). Drain the noodles in a colander, fill the saucepan with cold water, swish the noodles in the cold water, then drain again.
• In the empty pot, stir together the coconut milk, cilantro, chiles and fish sauce. Zest the limes over the pot, then halve one of the limes and squeeze its juice directly into the pot. Cut the remaining lime into 4 wedges.
• Toss the noodles in the coconut milk mixture. Taste and adjust seasonings. (The flavor should be coconut-y, lightly sweet and savory. If you can't taste the coconut, add more milk; if the mixture is too sweet, add more fish sauce.) Serve in bowls with peanuts scattered over top and lime wedges and chile sauce alongside. Spoon any collected coconut milk at the bottom of the pan over the noodles.

COLD PORK RICE NOODLES WITH CUCUMBER AND PEANUTS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the garlic, pork and black pepper and stir to brown evenly, 2 to 3 minutes. Add fish sauce, sugar and sriracha, and continue cooking until pork is just cooked through and evenly coated with sauce, 2 to 3 minutes more. Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the rice noodles and cook until tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
• Drain the sauce off the pork into a bowl, and toss it with the noodles to coat. Divide the dressed noodles across four bowls and top with pork, cucumber, herbs and peanuts (or toss all together and transfer to a bowl). Drizzle with sriracha to taste and serve with lime for squeezing.