Vietnamese Beef Noodle Salad (Nuk Mum?)

I LOVE ASIAN FOOD!!!!!!! I know, I repeat myself :-)

I hesitated to post this recipe because I'm really not sure what it even is. This is a noodle salad of sorts, layered with grilled meat, fresh cabbage, cold cucumbers and an amazing coconut milk sauce that really contrasts all of the simple flavors of the salad ingredients and really just does what Asian food does best...Umami (look it up, or just click here). I'm told that the name of it is Nuk Mum, but I question this since my research returns nothing except fish sauce under that name (or with the alternate and correct spelling of Nước mắm pha). Although it does contain fish sauce, it is oh so much more than that! This recipe comes via my sister and brother in law (Amy and Neil). I think they had it at a friends house and then made it themselves...Whatever, it is sooooooo good!!!!!!!!!! The one time I made it, it ended up being a little on the cold side since my timing was a little off on all of the components, but it really didn't matter. In fact, I think you could serve this cold (except for the sauce) and it would still be beautiful.

Ingredients:

P.S. I fully intend to make this homemade version of Sriracha very soon : http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/02/how-to-make-sriracha-from-scratch-sauces.html

Ingredients:

Sauce:

2 Cups Coconut Milk 2 1/2 Tbs. Rice Vinegar 2 1/2 Tbs Sugar Chili Garlic Sauce (Sriracha), to taste 6-8 cloves Garlic, crushed 4 Tbs Lemon Juice 6 Tbs. Fish Sauce (to taste)

Salad:

1 Pkg Angel Hair Pasta 3 lbs of steak (any nice grilling meat would do) 1 head of cabbage (I like Savoy or Napa), finely shredded 1 Cucumber, cut into matchsticks Crushed peanuts for garnish (around two cups) Fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions:

So that all of the components of this dish come together at roughly the same time, I recommend that you follow this order.

1. Finely shred the cabbage and cut the cucumbers into matchstick sized pieces. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

2. Season the meat: I seasoned the meat (New York Strip) with an Asian seasoning blend (Penzy's Bangkok Blend), but you could use just salt and pepper if you don't have anything like this. I believe that the original recipe was done with minimal seasoning on the meat. Set it aside until you are are ready to cook it.

3. Start the sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine all of the sauce ingredients (remember to go easy on the sriracha and the fish sauce until it has cooked a bit. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to medium low so that it is at a low boil. The goal is to let all of the flavor cook together and reduce the amount of liquid a bit to intensify the flavor. Continue boil/simmering it for about 15 minutes. At this point you will want to adjust the seasonings, adding more sriracha or fish sauce to suit your taste. Keep the sauce warm on very low heat until all of the other ingredients are ready.

4. While the sauce is boiling, start the pasta: Cook the pasta according to the package directions, being careful not to overcook.

5. Also while the sauce is boiling, put the meat in or on to cook: While the sauce is simmering, cook the meat to your desired temperature. For this dish, I prefer it to be a bit on the rare side, but really do it however you prefer your beef cooked. You can cook your meat on the grill or broil it. Obviously for flavor sake, I recommend grilling, but broiling will suffice if it's particularly cold/wet/windy outside.

Once the meat is cooked and has had a chance to rest (15 mins) covered with foil, you will need to slice it. Using a sharp knife, slice it at an angle against the grain into 1/4 inch thick slices.

6. Lastly, assemble: Start with a portion of the pasta, then place a small handfull of cabbage, followed by six or so stick of cucumber. Layer the warm meat slices on top and then ladle sauce over the top of it all. Lastly, garnish with crushed peanuts and enJoy!

Notes: I think this would be amazing with fresh bean sprouts as well.