I found noodles made from purple sweet potatoes in my local Asian supermarket. Not only did they inspire this pretty salad but they also turned out to have a delightfully chewy texture.
First cook the noodles according to instructions or just test until you like them. Cool them under cold water then cut them into shorter lengths (I use kitchen shears for this) and place them in a large bowl. To the noodles add julienned vegetables of your choice – I used carrots, snow peas and cabbage. Add some finely sliced red chillies to taste and plenty of finely chopped Vietnamese mint and coriander (cilantro). You could also add some finely sliced red onion or spring onions. Make a dressing from 1 crushed clove of garlic, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar, 3 tablespoons of Vietnamese fish sauce (if your fish sauce is from Thailand reduce this amount by half) and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Now crush some dry-roasted peanuts and add half of them to the salad. Mix everything thoroughly with the dressing then garnish with the rest of the peanuts and some fresh herbs.
michelle picker cooks 