Whether it's enjoying the year-round beauty of Southern California weather, my supportive family who gets my hectic school schedule, my culture that has helped ignite my passion for food, or even you for browsing through this blog of my raw subconscious, this year has much to be thankful for.
This past weekend I was craving noodles and vegetables and thought to make a dish that's super easy and called bun tom va dau phu xao (vermicelli with sauteed tofu and shrimp). Now I know what you're thinking - what? No Thanksgiving centric dishes?!?! Trust me though, this dish would serve as a great intermediate between Thanksgiving snacking. You can sandwich this meal between Turkey day Thanksgiving and Saturday leftovers. On top of that, this dish is simple to make and is super flavorful. Another added bonus - this dish can be customized to please any eater's palate. Although I made this dish with tofu and shrimp, the dish would be just as delicious with tofu only, shrimp only, pork, or even beef.
Ingredients for nuoc mam (dipping sauce), modified from Ravenous Couple:
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1/8 cup of fish sauce
- 2.5 tablespoon white sugar
- 2.5 tablespoon lime juice
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or mashed
- 4 chilis chopped
Ingredients for vermicelli tom dau phu xao:
- 1/2 pack of extra firm tofu, cubed
- 6 pieces of tiger prawns (or shrimp of your choice), deveined and cut into 1 inch length pieces, or kept whole
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 tablespoons of oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
- 2 stalks of lemongrass, chopped
- 1 onion chopped longways
- Bundle of noodles
- 1/2 red or green lettuce washed and chopped
- 2 cups bean sprouts washed
- 1/2 bundle of cilantro washed
- Your choice of herbs (mint, basil, perilla)
Protocol:
1. Boil vermicelli noodles until cooked through - drain and set aside
2. Combine ingredients for fish sauce (ingredient list 1) and set aside - adjust accordingly to how sour or sweet you want the sauce
3. In a bowl, combine garlic, tofu, lemongrass, oyster sauce and sesame oil - let sit for at least 20 minutes or in fridge to let marinade sink in
4. Heat skillet and add a dash of vegetable oil
5. When hot, put in ingredients from (1) and stir fry until tofu browned
6. Once tofu browned, add in shrimp and onions
7. Sautee until onions and shrimp are cooked through - set aside
8. Create your dish using your favorite fixings (if you like more green, pile on the herbs and vegetables, followed by noodles and sauteed tofu/shrimp; if you want a more paleo treat, omit rice noodles)
Happy eating all!
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