Taste Buds: Spring rolls & noodle bowls with Christina Nguyen

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Stephanie Hansen explores flavors from Southeast Asia with Hai Hai Chef Christina Nguyen in this episode of Taste Buds. 

Christina took home the 2024 James Beard Award for Best Chef, Midwest earlier this year. Her restaurant, Hai Hai, is nestled in Northeast Minneapolis and showcases Southeast Asian street food, inspired by the meals Christina grew up eating. 

Christina welcomes Stephanie into her home to make spring rolls with shrimp and Chinese sausage, as well as a beloved Hai Hai menu item: Turmeric Dill Fish, which is a northern Vietnamese dish. The bright and fresh flavors almost took the spotlight away from Christina’s two charming Samoyeds, Mochi and Tofu. 

Back at home, Stephanie uses what she learned from Christina to make turmeric noodles with shrimp and a spring roll-inspired bowl with chicken and peanut sauce. 

Turmeric Noodle Bowls with Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 14 oz package rice noodles
• 2 Tbsp turmeric
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• Boiling water
• 1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined, tails removed
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 2 tsp lemongrass paste
• 1/4 cup cooking wine
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• Fresh basil, chopped for garnish
• Fresh mint, chopped for garnish
• 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced into half-moons
• 1 Tbsp chili crisp

Instructions are available in the video above and here.

Spring Roll in a Bowl with Peanut Sauce Dressing

Peanut Dressing:

• ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, microplaned
• 2 Tbsp water
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha hot sauce

Bowl ingredients:

• 1 cup butter lettuce torn into pieces
• 14 oz package dry vermicelli rice noodles
• 1 avocado peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 large carrot shredded
• 1 bell pepper — red or orange — chopped
• 1 Serrano peppers sliced
• 2 Persian cucumbers sliced into half-moons
• 2/3 cup peanuts chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1 cup butter lettuce torn into pieces
• 2/3 cup peanuts chopped
• 2 cups cooked chicken (we used a rotisserie chicken)

Instructions are available in the video above and here.

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