How to Make Thai-Style Pasta Salad

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 30 mins

Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients needed to make Thai-Style Pasta Salad:

• 10 oz thin rice noodles, dried
• 1 can cooked shrimp, shelled, deveined and diced
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• ¼ cup roasted peanuts, lightly chopped
• 1 can miniature corn cobs, drained and chopped into bite-sized chunks
• 5 green onions, finely sliced
• 2 cups snow peas, steamed until firm
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• 1 cup fresh thai basil, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

For the dressing:

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• Juice of a lime
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 fresh red chili, deseeded
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

For garnishing:

• Chopped peanuts
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Fresh basil leaves

Cooking instructions for Thai-Style Pasta Salad:

• Bring a pot of water to boil and dump the noodles into it.
• Turn off the heat immediately and let the noodles cook in the hot water for 15 minutes or until they soften yet remain firm.
• Drain them out into a colander and transfer them into a large bowl.
• Empty the cups of bean sprouts into it and toss them together until well combined; set aside.
• Whisk all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves and they mix thoroughly; adjust the seasonings and set aside.
• Throw in the corn cobs, tomatoes, shrimps, green onions ad well as fresh cilantro into the noodle-bean mixture and toss well until they are distributed evenly throughout the salad; snip the noodles with a pair of scissors in case they tend to get entangled.
• Drizzle the dressing over them and sprinkle the chopped peanuts as well as basil into it.
• Toss further until well combined and adjust the seasonings if necessary.
• Leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours or until it is chilled.
• Sprinkle the fresh herbs and peanuts on top.
• Serve cold alongside lime wedges.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons