Vermicelli salad is one of my favorite things to make in a pinch. I'm currently moving and need food that's quick and easy to throw together and requires very little equipment! Because most of my kitchen is in boxes. These types of dishes are perfect. They primarily consists of whatever fruits and vegetables that I have on hand, thinly sliced, and tossed in vinegar and tamari.
I used apple cider vinegar because the jar that I have is almost empty and moving is easier with less things! But I often mix in rice vinegar and it's a great way to subtly change the direction of the dish. I find apple cider vinegar a little bit more of a fall vinegar because I grew up in apple country where that dominates the fall cooking scene. Whereas, rice vinegar I associate more with lighter spring dishes. That might be a personal preference and absolutely feel free to use whatever vinegar you like whenever you feel like it! But it did work with the chilly weather here in the midwest.
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Variations of Vermicelli Salad
You can mix and match the produce and the type of acid that you toss in. Today, I opted for red bell peppers, cucumbers, shallots, and avocados, with crushed walnuts, lemon juice, tamari, apple cider vinegar, and a dollop peanut butter. Although I often mix this up depending on what's in my pantry or in season at the time!
This vermicelli salad consists of vermicelli, lightly fried tofu, red bell peppers, cucumbers, shallots, avocados, and walnuts with a dressing of freshly squeezed lemon juice, tamari, apple cider vinegar, and peanut butter.
Add about 4 inches of water to a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
Cook vermicelli according to the manufacturer's instructions.Vermicelli cooks very quickly. I tend to add the vermicelli and then immediately remove it from heat. Then, go on to prepare the produce. Merely sitting in the once boiling water is sufficient enough soften it enough to eat without overcooking.
Fry Tofu
While the pot is boiling for the vermicelli, drain the water out of the tofu and cut into cubes.
Wrap in paper towels to absorb the moisture.It's important to absorb as much water out of the tofu as you can. Oil is less dense than water, so the molecules repel one another. With cold ingredients, this causes separation. When you're frying at high temperatures, though, this can cause boiling hot oil to spray back at you.
Meanwhile, preheat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
When the skillet has preheated and the majority of the water has absorbed into the paper towels, carefully add the tofu to the skillet. Fry until golden brown. This should take about 2-4 minutes. Rotate until all sides are evenly fried.
Remove from heat and wrap again in paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
Assemble Salad
Mince and chop all of the produce and add to a large bowl.
It can help to mix the tamari, vinegar, peanut butter, and lemon juice together in a separate bowl and then mix in. Although this isn't explicitly necessary as long as the peanut butter doesn't clump together.
Add in tofu, avocado, and walnuts afterwards.
Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator for about an hour. I'm quite fond of this dish at room temperature or mixed in with salmon or scrambled eggs. It keeps incredibly well in the refrigerator, though. There's enough sodium and acidity in the mix to last for about a week without the produce browning. The liquid will start to separate and just need stirring before serving again.
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