Vietnamese-style Wild Venison Noodle Salad
A rice noodle salad with cooked wild venison strips, crisp vegetables, herbs and lime dressing.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Species: Muntjac, Chinese Water Deer, Roe Deer, Fallow Deer, Red Deer
Ingredients
- 450 g wild venison steak, cut across the grain into 5 mm strips
- 200 g dried rice vermicelli noodles
- 20 ml rapeseed oil
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 150 g carrot, cut into fine matchsticks
- 200 g cucumber, cut into fine matchsticks
- 100 g little gem lettuce, shredded
- 20 g mint leaves
- 15 g coriander leaves
- 40 g unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
- 30 ml lime juice
- 20 ml fish sauce
- 15 g caster sugar
- 40 ml water
The cut for this recipe
Wild Venison Steaks
Method
Dissolve the sugar in the water, lime juice and fish sauce. Prepare the carrot, cucumber, lettuce and herbs on a clean board. Keep the dressing and vegetables chilled.
Cook or soak the rice noodles according to their packet instructions. Drain and rinse with cold drinking water, drain thoroughly again and divide between four bowls.
Heat the oil in a wide pan. Fry the venison in two batches for 3–4 minutes each, turning all the pieces. Return the meat to the pan and add the garlic for 1 minute.
Add 30 ml water and cook for a further 2–3 minutes. Check the thickest strips with a clean thermometer: they must be cooked through and piping hot at 70°C for 2 minutes.
Divide the lettuce, carrot and cucumber over the noodles. Add the cooked venison with clean utensils, then tear over the mint and coriander.
Spoon over the dressing and scatter with peanuts. Serve straight away rather than leaving the assembled salad at room temperature.
Storage
Keep cooked meat, noodles, vegetables and dressing separate. Cool the meat and refrigerate within 1–2 hours at 5°C or below; use within 48 hours. Refrigerate cooled rice noodles promptly, within 1 hour, and use within 24 hours. Reheat the meat only once until piping hot, or eat it cold from chilled storage. Do not reheat the salad vegetables.
