So what can you do with pickled carrots and daikon? Create lotus root salad (Nom ngo sen), a simple, yet refreshing Vietnamese salad with a big crunch. We had a huge mother’s day feast this weekend and since it was hot and sunny here in Southern California, this salad was perfect for the barbeque. Stay tuned for what else we made. As a teaser…nem nuong kimchi sliders, strawberry mojitos, grilled lemongrass shrimp skewers, grilled lobster tails and grilled corn on the cobb, Cuban/Mexican style!
This dish is comprised of crunchy pickled lotus roots, pickled carrots and daikon, tender pork and shrimp, and dressed with fish sauce vinaigrette (nuoc mam pha), crispy fried shallots and roasted peanuts. So light, refreshing, and so easy to prepare.
Vietnamese lotus root salad
Vietnamese Lotus Root Salad (Nom Ngo Sen)
Printable Recipe
* 2 Jars of Pickled Lotus Roots (Found in most asian groceries. Should be fairly white and void yellowish lotus roots)
* 3 cups of pickled carrots and daikons (drained)
* 1 bunch of fresh coriander (rau ram pictured above)
* 1 bunch of mint (rau thom)
* 1/2 lb of pork shoulder
* 1/2 lb of shrimp
* 2 tablespoons of roasted peanuts (coarsely ground)
* 2 tablespoons of fried shallots (found at most asian groceries pre-fried)
* About 1/2 cup of nuoc mam cham (dipping fish sauce)
Boil the pork shoulder in water and a little bit of salt and sugar. Boil the shrimp with the shell on in water. Set aside the pork shoulder and shrimp and let it cool.
Rinse out the pickled lotus roots. Cut the lotus roots in half shortwise, diagnally in bite size pieces. Coarsely chop the fresh coriander and mints. Now with the pork and shrimp cooled, slice the pork thinly. Peel the shrimp and slice the shrimp in half lengthwise deveining at the same time.
Vietnamese lotus root salad
In a large bowl, mix together the drained pickled carrots and daikon, lotus roots, mint, coriander, sliced pork, and nouc mam cham. Top the the salad with shrimp, roasted peanuts, and fried shallots. Enjoy this simple, deliciously crunchy Vietnamese lotus root salad.