Shrimp Noodle Salad

One of my New Year's resolutions is to do more cooking and try lots of new recipes. I'd say I'm already well on my way towards that resolution.

Last night, I made this Shrimp Noodle Salad. I found the following recipe in the March issue of Runner's World, another magazine for which I have serendipitously received a complimentary trial subscription.

The recipe is from runner/chef Richard Sandoval, who is the chef and owner of 14 Latin-style resturants in the United States, Mexcio, and Dubai. His restaurants feature "modern Mexican" cuisine, which blends Mexican ingredients with flavors and cooking techniques from other countries. The shrimp noodle salad uses ginger and jalapeno chiles, which creates an Asian-Latin dish.

The dish was wonderful. Very flavorful and colorful with the shrimp, mango and papaya. However, the recipe may have been more trouble than it was worth. It was delcious, but used so many ingredients and required lots of prep work. Still, I'd recommed it if you're game for a full night of cooking.

Ingredients
2 cups water
3 oz bean-thread vermicelli noodles
2 oz green papaya, peeled and julienned
6 medium shrimp, peeled, cooked, and cooled
1 tbsp each of basil, mint, and cilantro, finely chopped
3/4 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
1 tbsp scallion greens, thinly sliced
1 tbsp jalapenos, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp roasted peanuts, chopped
1/4 cup sesame vinaigrette (see below)
Cilantro leaves and black sesame seeds to garnish

Directions
Place water in a medium-size pot and bring to a boil. Add the noodles and cook for three minutes. Strain and cool the noodles with cold water. When the noodles are cold, place in a bowl and set aside. Slice the shrimp lenghwise and add to the noodles. Add the remaining ingredients, including the sesame vinaigrette (whisk together 1/4 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon rice-wine vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil, and 1/8 cup canola oil. Mix in 1/4 tablespoon fish sauce and 1/2 tablespoon honey.) Garnish with cilantro leaves and black sesame seeds. Makes two servings.