Every now and then I like to grab something at the grocery store that I don't often cook with. It makes me feel like I'm in one of those mystery box cooking challenging on culinary game shows. Plus, it gives me a chance to explore ingredients and flavor profiles that I might not ordinarily gravitate towards. And you never know what you're going to like if you don't try it out! Today, I've ended up with a jicama. I do occasionally cook with jicama. They're a large, round root vegetable that's similar to an oversized, sweet turnip. They're on the harder side, so I've decided to grate them like a carrot. You can also slice them. Although in a salad form, it was a lot easier to put them through a rotary cheese grater. Hence the Vermicelli Salad w/ Jicama, Carrots, & Zucchini.
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Variations of Jicama Vermicelli Salad
I tend to make a lot of vermicelli salads. They're one of my favorite dishes to toss together in a pinch. Vermicelli noodles cook in a fraction of a second. You don't even need to boil them. Them pouring hot water over vermicelli will ordinarily cook them sufficiently enough. A lot of people like to pop them into the microwave. Although I haven't had a microwave in decades, I still just heat a pot of water, add the pasta when it boils, and then immediately turn off the stove. By the time I'm done chopping fruits and vegetables, the vermicelli is sufficiently softened. I also tend to use brown rice vermicelli to cut the risk of overcooking it. Although you can easily drain the excess liquid after cooking to ensure a more precise cooking consistency.
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.
Assemble Salad
Mince and chop all of the produce and add to a large bowl.
It can help to mix the tamari, rice vinegar, and tahini together in a separate bowl and then mix in. Although this isn't explicitly necessary as long as the tahini doesn't clump together.
Add in avocado. Avocados go back much faster than the other ingredients, so I don't mix them in until serving and store them separately.
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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