Rice Vermicelli Salad Recipe
My uncle loves to cook. One day while being in the kitchen ready to cook dinner he came up with something new to try - rice vermicelli salad. He boiled the rice vermicelli and added ingredients he found in his fridge and pantry and they really complemented each other. The salad turned out so good that he and my aunt ate huge bowls of it for dinner.
Rice vermicelli salad is delicious and also healthy. It is not hard to make this salad but you have to be ready to get your hands dirty. And by that I mean that you will have to mix the salad with your hands. Be sure to wash your hands with soap before mixing the salad to make sure they are clean.
Ingredients
- 4 square rolls Rice Vermicelli, dry, not shiny
- 1 medium Carrot
- 2 Cucumbers
- Half of 16 oz jar Kim Chee, Korean Style Pickled Vegetables
- Two tablespoons Sesame Oil
- Rice Vinegar Salad Dressing
- 2 stalks Scallion
- 1 Can Small red beans
- Salt
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. When the water starts boiling add 4 square rolls of the rice vermicelli. Cook for about 2 minutes. When 2 minutes are up drain the rice vermicelli in a colander under running water. Using your hands turn the vermicelli over many times, separating each strand. Once the rice vermicelli is more or less separated let all the water drain.
- Now it's time to place the rice vermicelli into a large salad bowl. Since the rice vermicelli is very long you will need to cut them into smaller strands using the scissors that come with your knife set before placing it into the salad bowl. Cut the rice vermicelli so you will be able to wrap it around your fork.
- Next, wash a medium-sized carrot and two regular cucumbers, peel off the skin, and shred using a manual shredder. Do not shred the ingredients into the bowl with the rice vermicelli because shredding will produce some juice and you don't want the juice inside the rice vermicelli. You may have to squeeze the shredded carrot and cucumbers prior to placing them into the salad bowl with the rice vermicelli. You can always use a food processor to shred the carrot and cucumbers if you'd like.
- Once you shred the carrot and the cucumbers place them into a large salad bowl with the rice vermicelli and mix with your hands. That is the easiest way to mix the ingredients. You can try using a spatula or spoon or fork but using your hands is best.
- Open a bottle of rice vinegar salad dressing. Place your finger over the opening and drizzle onto the ingredients in the large salad bowl. Then add a desired amount of salt. Remember you can always add more salt later so be sure not to add too much of it or it will ruin the salad.
- Take a 16. oz jar of Kim Chee (Korean Style Pickled Vegetables). Take out half of the vegetables and cut into thin strips either using the scissors or placing them onto a cutting boarding and cutting with a knife. Once done add to the large salad bowl. Then add the sauce from the jar (but not too much of it as it may be very spicy for you) and mix everything with your hands.
- Open a bottle of Sesame Oil and add two tablespoons to the salad and mix everything. Then open a can of small red beans, remove the contents onto a colander and wash under running water. Add to the salad. Finally wash two stalks of scallion, cut into slices and mix with your hands.
- Cover the salad with a wrap or a large plate and place into a refrigerator. It is best to leave it there overnight before eating. If you can't wait that long you can leave the salad there for a few hours before eating. The best flavor will come through when the salad has been in the refrigerator for at least a few hours.
- Before eating the salad take a bite and see if the flavor is to your liking. If you feel that you need to add more sesame oil, rice vinegar salad dressing, the sauce from the kim chee, or salt, by all means go ahead and add to the salad.

This recipe makes about four servings. But it all depends on how much you plan to consume. Smaller portions will result in more servings...
You can eat the rice vermicelli salad as an appetizer or as a main dish. Just place a desired amount of the salad into a bowl and enjoy. You can eat salad with a fork but it may be more fun to eat it with chopsticks.
If you'd like, you can also use the rice vermicelli salad as a side dish to go along with fish fillet, chicken, pork, or other meat.
You can even add other ingredients to the salad if you want. If you are not sure how the rice vermicelli salad will taste with the added ingredients, simply place a little bit of the salad onto a bowl, add those ingredients, mix, and taste. If you love the taste then add those ingredients to the entire salad. If you don't like the taste then don't add anything to the entire salad as it will ruin it.
One extra ingredient that will definitely not hinder the taste of the rice vermicelli salad is bean sprouts (sprouts of mung beans). Bean sprouts can be eaten raw. Actually, they are best eaten raw because they keep all their vitamins and minerals when they remain uncooked. So to add them to the salad all you have to do is wash them thoroughly under running water and drain. Bean sprouts are crunchy and will liven up the rice vermicelli salad.
© 2012 Lena Kovadlo