Spring Roll Salad Peanut Dressing (Printable)
Crisp vegetables, rice noodles, and aromatic herbs meet a creamy peanut dressing in this refreshing Vietnamese-inspired dish.
# What You Need:
→ Salad Components
01 - 3.5 ounces rice vermicelli noodles
02 - 1 medium carrot, julienned
03 - 1 small cucumber, seeded and julienned
04 - 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
05 - 4 radishes, thinly sliced
06 - 1 cup shredded red cabbage
07 - 1 cup bean sprouts
08 - 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
09 - 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
10 - 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
11 - 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
12 - 8 large butter lettuce leaves
→ Peanut Dressing
13 - 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
14 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
15 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
16 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
17 - 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
18 - 1 clove garlic, minced
19 - 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
20 - 1-2 tablespoons warm water to thin as needed
21 - 1 teaspoon sesame oil, optional
22 - 1/2-1 teaspoon sriracha or chili sauce, optional
# Steps:
01 - Cook the rice vermicelli noodles according to package instructions. Rinse thoroughly under cold water, drain well, and set aside to cool completely.
02 - Julienne the carrot and cucumber, thinly slice the bell pepper and radishes, shred the cabbage, and pick the fresh herb leaves from stems.
03 - Whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, rice vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and sriracha in a medium bowl. Add warm water gradually until smooth and pourable.
04 - Toss cooled noodles with carrot, cucumber, bell pepper, radishes, cabbage, bean sprouts, and half of each herb in a large mixing bowl until evenly distributed.
05 - Drizzle half the peanut dressing over the salad mixture and toss gently until all components are lightly coated.
06 - Arrange butter lettuce leaves on individual serving plates. Top each leaf generously with the dressed salad mixture.
07 - Sprinkle remaining fresh herbs and chopped peanuts over the salads. Serve immediately with extra peanut dressing on the side.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- All the crisp freshness of spring rolls without the rolling frustration
- That peanut dressing makes everything taste better, I promise
02 -
- The dressing thickens as it sits, so thin it right before serving
- Everything needs to be completely dry or the dressing slides right off
03 -
- A julienne peeler changed my vegetable prep life forever
- Toast the peanuts yourself for next level flavor