This Rice Noodle and Edamame Salad is simple, light, and packed with flavor from lychee, fresh herbs, and a homemade chili-lime dressing. Plus, it's vegetarian, vegan, and comes together in under 15 minutes!
As much as I love cooking, some nights the thought of cooking dinner is more than I can bear.
It's not the actual cooking I have a problem with, but some nights it simply boils down to deciding what we're going to actually have for dinner.
I've given up asking my husband what he wants for dinner because his answer will inevitably be "something yummy". Helpful, isn't he? 😉
The problem is that I have so many dishes and recipes I want to try, piled high in Pinterest boards and to-do lists, that I feel completely overwhelmed. So I just turn to my favurite old dinner faithfuls instead.
In fact, this problem was the inspiration for creating my cookbook - Weeknight One Pot Vegan Cooking - which is packed with simple dishes that can be cooked up in a single pot or pan.
Another good option is meal planning. I put together a meal plan for the week, and try to stick to it as much as humanly possible. And it's working, so far at least. Check out my guide to vegan meal planning for more inspiration .
Making Rice Noodle & Edamame Salad
I do love edamame - which is just soybeans in the pod. Those little morsels are so tasty just dipped in a bit of soy sauce, or incorporated in a tasty vegan pho.
I wanted to really show off the edamame in this dish - so I made it the star of the show in this edamame salad.
Vermicelli rice noodles add some substance, making this a light but filling vegetarian (and vegan) meal.
And it's bursting with flavor from fresh lychee, herbs, red onions, radish, and a homemade Chili-Lime dressing.
If you don't have access to lychees, you can leave them out and this will still be a tasty edamame salad. But they really are a great addition if you can get your hands on them.
Even better - this recipe can be pulled together in under 15 minutes!
This rice noodle and edamame salad is fresh, fast, and light, making it perfect for those hot sticky summer nights when the last thing you feel like doing is slaving away in a hot kitchen. It's also makes a great healthy meatless lunch too!
For more tasty vegetarian meal ideas, check out these easy vegan dinner recipes or my favorite pasta dishes.
And for more delicious recipes, don't forget to grab a free copy of my Top 15 Reader-Favorite Recipes before you go!
Edamame Salad with Rice Noodles and Chili-Lime Dressing
Ingredients
- 5.5 oz vermicelli rice noodles
- 1 cup edamame steamed and shelled
- 1 ½ cups coriander (cilantro) leaves chopped
- 1 cup mint leaves chopped
- 1 cucumber halved, and finely sliced
- 2 celery stalks finely sliced
- 3 radishes finely sliced
- 1 red onion finely sliced
- 1 cup fresh lychees halved, seed and skin removed
- ⅓ cup roasted and salted cashews roughly chopped
- CHILI-LIME DRESSING:
- ¼ cup chilli jam
- ¼ cup lime juice around 2 limes
- 1 tbsp soy sauce gluten-free variety if needed
- 1 tsp ginger freshly grated
- 1 clove garlic grated
Instructions
- Place vermicelli in a large bowl and cover with warm water and leave for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water before placing in a large serving bowl along with the coriander, mint, cucumber, celery, radish and red onion. Toss well to combine. Top with the edamame, lychees and chopped cashews.
- To make the dressing combine the chilli jam, lime juice, soy, ginger and garlic and stir to combine. Add to the salad just before serving, and toss well to combine.
Jill says
What would you suggest as a substitute for the lychees?
Jennifer says
Hi Jill, 🙂 I'd suggest trying grapes as a substitute for lychees. Enjoy the salad 😀
Lily (A Rhubarb Rhapsody) says
This looks so refreshing and vibrant. Would be great to take to a bbq in the lingering summer heat. As for coriander, Sun, lots and lots of sun. Keep it in a pot until it's quite big and strong before planting it in your garden. I've found if I plant them while they're small they get devoured by pests. Now, please tell me how i can stop caterpillars from eating all of my rocket!
Jennifer says
Thanks for your tips on growing coriander Lily 😀 As for stopping the caterpillars eating your rocket, maybe some fibreglass mesh might stop them?
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
What a fresh and delicious salad, I love the chili lime dressing!
Rosa says
So fresh, beautiful and mouthwatering! This salad is wonderful.
Cheers,
Rosa
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
I think I could eat anything that has lychees in it but this salad has definite wow power.
Choc Chip Uru says
This is a great way to make dinner without over the top cooking - it looks so delicious 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru