Lusty Leftovers: vermicelli noodle bowl
I can’t say I was super into leftovers as a kid. I didn’t hate them. I didn’t love them. They were just meh. So I’m aiming to do kids these days a solid.
This is the first in what I hope will be a semi-regular appearance of “Lusty Leftovers.” Leftovers that get us all hot and bothered. For those of us who want a night off cooking and for those who want some variety in life. Leftovers we can—in a nonsexual way—even lust after. Because why use a different “L” word when you can use a word that means: “very strong sexual desire?” Especially in a nonsexual context.
Or maybe your relationship with food is sexual. No judgment.
I floated the title for this series by my mom and Jonathan, by the way. Jonathan laughed, and my mom looked… concerned. “There’s gotta be a better ‘L’ word,” she said. And so began the “L” word game. My mom and Jonathan started throwing out words like: Lovely. Luscious. And then: Liquid. Languid. And a half hour later they’re still going. Lucifer. Lynx. Lioness. At one point, “L” words turned into “F” words. Feisty. Fecund. Etcetera. They even turned down the basketball game because it distracted from the “L” word game.
Needless to say, I’m sticking with “lusty.” And these are the lustiest leftovers. Leftover lettuce wraps turned into vermicelli bowls. They’re sweet and sour and refreshing. And all it takes is boiling water. Yes, please.
Servings: 4 Time: 10 minutes Via: Apple Tree’s Lettuce Wraps
This is great with some diced cucumber if you’ve got any laying around. Chopped, roasted peanuts would also be excellent on top.
Leftover pickled cabbage and carrots
Leftover butter lettuce
Leftover basil
Leftover mint
1 package (16 ounces) fresh rice vermicelli noodles
Leftover peanut sauce (from doubling the lettuce wrap peanut sauce)
Hoisin sauce for garnish (optional but recommended)
Bring a large saucepan of water to boil.
Meanwhile, place some pickled cabbage and carrots, lettuce, basil, and mint in each pasta bowl (or whatever you’re serving on).
When the water comes to a boil, place half the vermicelli noodles in a mesh strainer and dip the strainer into the water for around 10 seconds stirring with a fork. (If your noodle package includes different instructions, it’s probably best to follow those.)
Raise the strainer over the water and let drips fall for a minute. Divide noodles among 2 of the pasta bowls.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the other half of the noodles.
Top with peanut sauce and hoisin sauce.