Not Your Mama's Mac Salad

Now, I love noodles—all kinds. But if I had to pick the most endearing noodle, both to my soul and to my palate, it would have to be bun, a Vietnamese vermicelli-style noodle. Made from rice flour, water, and salt, these noodles are a beloved staple in Vietnam.

Vietnam is a tropical country with more than two thousands miles of coastline, lush and warm, where seafood, green vegetables, herbs and spices are plentiful all year round; and chicken, pork and beef are considered to be luxury items. Vietnamese meals are light but savory. To bring out the natural flavors of the main ingredients, Vietnamese cuisine relies on herbs and spices instead of lard and oil. These spices are used to delicately enhance the sense of taste with a balance of salty, sweet and sour.

Here in the United States, cool noodle salads translate into perfect summer suppers. The soft rice noodles sit on a bed of cool, crunchy bean sprouts, cucumbers, lettuce, and mint, and they're topped with warm stir-fried vegetables, chicken, shrimp, or steak. Drizzled with a lively sauce, bun becomes an intricately flavored dish of contrasting tastes, temperatures, and textures; hot and cold, smooth and crunchy, chewy and tender, soft and grainy.

Memorial Day may have signaled the beginning of grilling season, but as we head into the humid months of summer, big slabs of barbecued meat seem a tad heavy during a scorching New Jersey heat wave. But that doesn't mean we need to shun the grill completely. Use the grill for chicken, shrimp, or steak. The recipe below calls for marinated chicken thighs. Use brown sugar and some fish sauce in the marinade to give the meat a good caramelization.

Remember, summer meals should be refreshing, light and simple.

Vietnamese Noodle Salad

Ingredients

1 package bun (aka rice sticks or rice vermicelli)

1 red pepper, julienned

2 cucumbers, seeded and cut into matchsticks

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks

1 package fresh bean sprouts

scallions, diced

basil, fresh

mint, fresh

several limes, cut into wedges

handful of shredded lettuce

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

marinade (recipe below)

nuoc cham (recipe below)

Preparation

1. A few hours before you plan to serve, combine chicken and marinade in a plastic bag, toss to combine, and refrigerate. Cut vegetables and set aside. Prepare nuoc cham.

2. Thirty minutes before you plan to serve, light grill and prepare for medium heat. Remove chicken from marinade. Grill chicken for approximately 15 minutes, or until cooked through and nicely caramelized.

3. While grilling, boil water and pour over noodles to cover in a large bowl. Cover bowl and let steep for five minutes, or until the noodles are tender. Drain water and place noodles in serving dish. Bunch the garnishes around the noodles.

4. Roughly chop chicken and place atop noodles in serving dish. Serve with nuoc cham on the side.

Nuoc Cham

juice of two limes

2 tablespoons brown sugar

4 tablespoons fish sauce

8 cloves garlic, minced

chile-garlic paste to taste (or use finely sliced hot chiles of your choice)

Whisk together all ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Marinade

You can use just about any combination of salty, sweet and acidic ingredients for this, but I always use a combination of soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar and rice wine vinegar.