Vietnamese pork and rice noodle salad

Vietnamese pork and rice noodle salad
  • High protein
  • Low fat
  • Low phosphate
  • Low potassium
  • Low salt
  • Main meal
  • Asian
  • 1 hour or less
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Light and refreshing, this salad is a high protein, low salt meal thatโ€™s quick to prepare.

Chef

Chef Paul Ripley
Paul Ripley

Kidney Kitchen Chef

On a warm day this zesty rice noodle salad is a fast and tasty option. With a traditional Nuoc Cham dressing, this dish is sweet, sour and spicy.

Ingredients

250g vermicelli rice noodles

4 carrots, peeled & cut into matchsticks

1 red onion, thinly sliced

30g fresh mint, roughly chopped

30g fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

100g Chinese leaf lettuce, chopped

1 red pepper, de-seeded & thinly sliced

1 red chilli, de-seeded & thinly sliced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

400g lean pork mince

Nuoc Cham dressing

6 limes

2 tablespoons caster sugar

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 red chilli, de-seeded and thinly sliced

Method

  1. Step 1

    Prepare all your vegetables as per the ingredients list and set aside. Place the rice noodles in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow them to sit for 5 minutes then rinse under cold water and thoroughly drain before placing in one large serving bowl.

  2. Step 2

    Make the dressing by juicing the limes into a small saucepan over a low heat. Mix in the sugar and stir until fully dissolved, then turn off the heat. Add the fish sauce and one of the sliced chillies. Set aside to cool.

  3. Step 3

    Add the prepared carrots, onion, pepper, Chinese leaf lettuce and half the herbs to the rice noodles.

  4. Step 4

    Pour over the dressing and mix well to coat the noodles and stop them sticking to each other.

  5. Step 5

    Heat a non-stick frying pan or wok and add the oil. Cook the mince for 5 minutes until it browns and is cooked through.

  6. Step 6

    Once the mince is cooked, serve up the noodle and vegetable mix into 4 bowls, then top with a portion of mince and serve with the remaining herbs and chilli on top.

Food facts

The rice noodles are the main source of carbohydrate in this dish and the value has been provided for those who have been trained in insulin adjustment.

This recipe is low in both potassium and phosphate, however it does contain some phosphate so if you have been prescribed a phosphate binder ensure you take them with this dish.

The pork in this dish makes it a high protein meal, therefore it is suitable for those receiving dialysis or who have been advice to increase the amount of protein they eat.

Use a gluten-free fish sauce.

Use a meat-free mince alternative. Look for a vegan fish sauce or use soy sauce.

This is a relatively healthy dish that is low in fat as well as salt. If you want to reduce the amount of sugar you eat, consider using less sugar in the dressing, but this may affect the flavour.

This dish is best eaten fresh straight away.