Author Notes
This makes for a great lunch and tastes better the next day. —Summer of Eggplant
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Ingredients
- Cilantro Pesto
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1 bunch
Cilantro, stems and all
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2 tablespoons
Fish Sauce
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1
Lime, juiced
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1/4 cup
Peanut Oil (plus more if needed)
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4
Green Onions
- Take Out Noodles
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6 ounces
Rice Noodles
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1/2
Block Firm Tofu, pressed and cubed
-
1/2
Bermuda Onion, chopped
-
1
Red, Yellow or Orange Bell Pepper, cut in matchsticks and halved, or 3 of the Sweet Baby Peppers, sliced thinly
-
1/2
Cabbage, chopped
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10
Green Beans, sliced long wise in quarters and then halved
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1/4 cup
Peanuts, toasted and roughly chopped
-
1 handful
Basil, chopped
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4 ounces
Rice Vinegar
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4 ounces
Water
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4 tablespoons
Sugar
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4 tablespoons
Salt
Directions
- Cilantro Pesto
-
Combine everything in the food processor and process until combined, adding more oil if needed.
- Take Out Noodles
-
First, press your tofu this removes excess water. I do this by wrapping it in paper towels, sandwiching it between two plates and placing a six-pack or a chicken on top. Typically I will do this 1-2 hours in advance at least. I will also change the paper towels once during the process.
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Boil the rice noodles. It depends on the size of the noodle you use, usually 2-4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.
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Pickle the onions, cabbage, green beans and carrots. Do this by combining 1 ounce of the vinegar, one ounce of the water and 1 tablespoon of the salt and one tablespoon of the sugar in to 4 bowls (I actually use old jelly jars and occasionally agitate them). I put the onions in the solution for 30-60 minutes, the cabbage for 30 minutes, the carrots and the green beans for 10-20 minutes. Drain the vegetables. Do not rinse.
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Toss the rice noodles with the pesto, add in the vegetables, the tofu, peanuts and basil toss again to combine and serve.
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