Simple Vietnamese Noodle Salad
This is my favorite Vietnamese-inspired cold noodle salad, topped with a spicy herb sauce, lots of colorful fresh vegetables and perfectly grilled quail.
In this episode of Wild Game Kitchen, Andrew grills quail for a beautiful Vietnamese-style cold noodle salad.
Grilled Quail Noodle Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Quail
- 1/4 cup sake
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 8 semi-boneless quail
Spicy Herb Sauce
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup peanut oil
- 1/3 cup Asian fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons naturally brewed soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon minced Serrano chiles
- 1 tablespoon Japanese or Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- One-inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
Noodle Bowls
- 1/2 pound Somen noodles
- 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 4 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 serrano, thinly sliced
- 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 small head romaine, julienned
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl combine the sake, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Add the quail and allow to marinate for 15-30 minutes while you make the sauce.
To make the spicy herb sauce, simply puree all of the ingredients together in a blender. Reserve.
Prepare a grill for medium-high direct-heat cooking. Add the quail show side down and cook until a nice char begins to develop, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes, or until the quail is cooked to medium-rare. Reserve to a platter and let rest while you make the noodle bowls.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the somen noodles and cook until just softened, about 2 minutes. Immediately drain and plunge into an ice bath and let sit for a minute. Divide into 4 deep large bowls.
Divide the cucumbers, radishes, serrano, tomatoes, lettuce and scallions onto the serving bowls. Drizzle with the sauce. Quarter the quail and add to each bowl. Serve, passing extra sauce at the table.
