Pork Noodle and Herb Salad

This is easily made ahead because it's best served cold or at room temperature. Makes great lunch leftovers, so consider doubling the recipe. Fish sauce and soy sauce are salty as are the peanuts, so don't add salt until you taste the completed dish.

Serves 4

Adapted from NY Times Cooking. The photo is theirs.

Ingredients

• 1 8.8 oz. package rice vermicelli noodles (or regular thin spaghetti noodles)

• 2 Tbl. peanut oil or canola oil

• 1 pound pork (or ground turkey or vegan meat if you prefer)

• 6 garlic cloves, grated or minced

• Ground black pepper

• 4 Tbl. fish sauce

• 2 Tbl. soy sauce

• 3 Tbl. brown sugar

• 1 tsp. sriracha or chile garlic sauce, or a pinch of red pepper flakes (or more depending on how spicy you like things)

• 4 small Persian cucumbers or 1 regular cucumber, thinly sliced

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 cup mint, thinly sliced

• 1 cup basil, thinly sliced

• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts

• 1 lime, cut into four wedges

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes (or follow directions on the package). Drain and rinse with cold water, pulling them apart gently with your hands so they don't stick.

2. While the noodles are cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the pork, garlic and a grind or two of black pepper. Stir to brown evenly, about 3 minutes. Drain or blot the fat if there seems to be a lot in the pan.

3. Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar and sriracha to the mixture. Stir to combine and cook until the pork is fully cooked and coated with the sauce, about another 2-3 minutes.

4. Put the noodles into a bowl. Drain the sauce off of the pork mixture on top of the noodles and stir to combine.

5. Put some of the dressed noodles on each plate, then top with some of the pork mixture, the sliced cucumbers, some cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with the herbs and chopped peanuts. Put a slice of lime on each plate for individual squeezing.