Zesty Vietnamese Noodles (With a Little Bit of a Kick!)

Today's recipe is a little different than what I usually make because this dish is a cold one! I know we're going into colder weather what with the winter months just around the corner, however these zesty Vietnamese noodles are perfect for any of you who fancy making something a little fresher or lighter on a blustery autumn afternoon.

This dish is also a little different for me because it has a little bit of a kick to it! I'm not a huuuge fan of spicy food because I think it can often overpower subtle flavours, however I loved the sound of this dish and knew that it just wouldn't be the same without the chilli kick, so I decided to take the plunge, bite the bullet, grit my teeth and just get on with it. And what do you know, I actually REALLY enjoyed it! The heat of the chilli was perfectly balanced with the saltiness of the soy sauce and peanuts, the acidity from the lime, and the freshness that the raw courgette and carrot brought.

If you fancy giving these zesty Vietnamese noodles a go, why not check out the step-by-step how-to video on my YouTube below, and read on for the full ingredient list and method? I hope you enjoy as much as I did!

Ingredients:

• A medium carrot

• A large courgette

• Two medium eggs

• One red chilli

• One clove of garlic

• Two nests of rice noodles

• Two tablespoons of soy sauce

• One lime (for juicing!)

• Two teaspoons of brown sugar

• One teaspoon of rice vinegar

• A handful of dry roasted peanuts

Method:

1. Firstly, peel, top & tail, then grate your carrot

2. Pop your grated carrot to one side, then top & tail your courgette, grate that too and leave to the side with the carrot

3. Next, finely chop your chilli pepper, making sure to remove the seeds (unless you want it really hot!)

4. Then finely chop the garlic clove and put it to the side with the chopped chilli

5. Next you want to boil the kettle (fill it right up to the limit), put your nests of rice noodles into a big bowl (or two small ones would work fine), then cover the noodles in boiling water and let them soak for about four to five minutes

6. While they soak, grab your soy sauce and pour it into a small jar, then give your lime a good squeeze (chop it in half first!) into the jar too

7. Now come back to your chopped chilli and garlic; chuck it into the jar with the soy sauce and lime juice, then add the brown sugar and rice vinegar and give everything a good stir - this is your dressing sorted!

8. Leaving that to the side for now, we come to the eggs! Add the remainder of the boiling water in the kettle to a small saucepan and crank the heat up to medium-high; pop your eggs into the pan and let them boil for about six minutes

9. Whilst they bubble and boil away, come back to your rice noodles; drain them well using a sieve if possible, then chuck them into a big bowl such as a mixing bowl

10. Chuck in your grated courgette and carrot, as well as adding your soy sauce dressing from earlier, then give it all a good stir so everything's mixed in together well

11. Once your eggs are boiled, cool them in cold water for about five minutes then de-shell them and cut them in half

12. Dish up your noodle mix into two bowls, sprinkle your peanuts over the top and place two egg halves (so one full egg) in each bowl, then tuck in!

As you can see from the photo above, this dish is super colourful, which I absolutely love. They say you eat with your eyes first, and in my opinion these noodles have a beautiful, bright aesthetic that tells you just how delightful and bursting with flavour they are. They were also surprisingly filling; I think the addition of the hard boiled egg really helps, but without it you could just have a bigger portion to fill you up!

As I mentioned above, this dish has a bit of everything when it comes to flavour. Every flavour complements one another in a subtle yet exciting way - there's not too much going on, but it's also far from bland. I think this dish is perfect for a light dinner or to prep the night before and take into work or school, especially since it doesn't need heating up! As usual, the recipe above serves two but could keep in the fridge for a few days too. It's also easily vegan (just take out the egg) and I think could go well with salmon fillet or chicken breast marinated in some extra chilli and garlic soy dressing if you want to add a meat or fish element to the dish.

I really hope you like the sound of this recipe - let me know in the comments what you think and if you're going to try it out for yourself!