Prawn, avocado and mango glass noodle salad

Tamara West

This salad has got it all going on — perfectly balanced flavours of fresh, sweet, sour and a touch of hot, as well as the perfect amount of texture from the crunchy peanuts, creamy avocado, and slightly firm to the bite noodles and prawns. Thin strips of chicken work just as well as prawns. If you have lemongrass, finely chop it and add it to the prawns when they are stir-fried for extra fragrant flavour.

Noodle salad

150 g	Dried vermicelli noodles, also called glass noodles
400 g	Raw prawns, shelled with tails left on (defrosted, at room temperature) (Main)
2	Garlic cloves, minced
1	Lemon, juice
2	Avocados, firm and ripe (Main)
1	Mango, large and ripe (Main)
1	Red capsicum, thinly sliced
1	Red chilli, large, finely sliced (optional)
1 cup	Basil leaves, roughly torn
1 cup	Coriander, chopped
½ cup	Roasted peanuts, roughly chopped, to garnish

Dressing

2	Limes, juice
6 Tbsp	Sweet chilli sauce
3 Tbsp	Light soy sauce, or fish sauce
1 Tbsp	Extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Place noodles in a dish and pour over boiling water to cover. Leave to stand for 5-7 minutes until soft, then drain and run under cold water to prevent noodles sticking together.
2. Use scissors to snip noodles in several places to shorten the strands.
3. Pat prawns dry with paper towels.
4. Heat a drizzle of oil in a wok or large fry pan on medium to high heat. Add prawns, garlic and a good pinch of salt, and fry for 2-3 minutes until prawns are just cooked.
5. Squeeze lemon juice into hot pan and continue to cook for a further 1 minute. Turn off the heat and set aside.
6. Mix all dressing ingredients together.
7. When ready to serve, toss noodles, prawns, avocado, mango, basil and coriander with the dressing, divide between bowls and garnish with peanuts and more herbs.