Thai Noodle Salad

It got really cold in Eugene this week – so sad to see summer go, especially since it was late in arriving. But I still have a pile of farmer’s market tomatoes on my counter, so I made this salad for dinner tonight, for the 3rd time in 2 weeks. It would make a great dinner for those really hot nights of summer. So make a mental note, OK? When tomato season rolls around again, you’ll be ready.

Thai Tomato-Cucumber Salad with Glass Noodles and Egg
Serves 2

2 oz Bean thread noodles – also known as glass noodles or cellophane noodles. I found them at my Asian market.
2 eggs
1 T vegetable oil
1/3 c. roasted peanuts, chopped

1 T vegetable oil
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
Juice of 1 lime
1 T rice vinegar
1 T honey or brown sugar
1 T fish sauce
1 T soy sauce
1/2 – 1 tsp Sriracha hot chili sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper to taste

1 small or 1/2 a large cucumber, sliced
2 medium or 3 small top-quality tomatoes, chopped, and/or a generous handful of cherry tomatoes… Basically as many tomatoes as you can handle. Go crazy!
2 small or 1 large carrot, grated or sliced
2 green onions, sliced
A generous handful of any or all of the following herbs, sliced: Cilantro, mint, basil, Thai basil

Put the noodles in a heat-proof bowl and pour boiling water over them until fully submerged. Let stand 15 minutes.

Heat 1 T oil in a skillet and fry the eggs to desired doneness. (I don’t really do runny eggs, so I fried mine crispy, but I imagine that poached would also be a good way to go for this.) Remove from the pan, and slice up the egg into bite-size pieces.

Mix up the dressing ingredients in a small glass jar with a tight fitting lid so you can shake it well before applying to the salad.

Divide your prepped veggies between two bowls. When the noodles are done, drain them and put a portion in each bowl. (Now that they are soft you might want to cut them up with scissors into shorter pieces.) Top with egg, peanuts, and dressing. Take a moment to admire how pretty it looks, then stir well and eat!