Dominique says: “When I’m craving something light yet zingy and full of ﬂavour, my taste buds often lead me here. Inspired by the classic Vietnamese salad bún cha, which features rice noodles and pork, this recipe instead uses halloumi as the main element. Halloumi’s irresistible saltiness works beautifully alongside the fragrant herbs, sweet, spicy dressing, crunchy peanuts and crisp lettuce.”

Serves 2
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 5 mins

Ingredients

For the carrot pickle:

1 carrot, julienned 3 tbsp rice vinegar
½ tsp sugar
a pinch of salt

For the dressing:

2 tbsp fish sauce
1 small clove of garlic, crushed
1 red chilli, finely chopped (deseed if you prefer a milder heat)
2 tbsp lime juice (approx. 1½ limes)
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp water

For the salad:

100g vermicelli rice noodles
neutral oil, to fry
125g halloumi, cut into slices
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
a handful of fresh mint leaves
a handful of fresh coriander leaves
1 little gem lettuce
2 tbsp salted peanuts, chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges

Method

Combine the ingredients for the carrot pickle in a bowl and set aside.

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, then drain and rinse. Set aside.

Combine the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl. Taste and add any extra fish sauce, lime or sugar as needed. Set aside.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat and add a drizzle of oil. When hot, add the halloumi and cook for 1 minute or so on each side, until golden. Turn off the heat, then drizzle over the sweet chilli sauce and coat.

To serve, divide the noodles, herbs, lettuce, carrot pickle and halloumi between two plates. Pour the dressing over the noodles and salad. Scatter over the peanuts and serve with wedges of lime.

Vegan
Use soy instead of fish sauce, and crispy fried tofu (see page 98) instead of halloumi.

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