Recipe: Chilled Southeast Asian Noodles with Shrimp

Recipes title

Chilled Southeast Asian Noodles with Shrimp

7-8 oz. fresh Asian noodles (buckwheat or wide Chinese egg noodles or fresh linguine)
6 large shrimps (approx. 1/2 lb) peeled, deveined, without tails
3 shitake mushrooms, thinly sliced and sautéed
3 oz. extra-firm tofu (flavored, if available)

Dressing:

1-1/2 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
1-1/2 T grated fresh ginger
2 serranos of Thai chilies, cut into thin rounds, with seeds
2 T chili oil
1-1/2 T dark soy sauce
2-1/2 T rice wine vinegar, unflavored
1 T nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce)
1 stalk fresh lemongrass, sliced
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 c. tamarind—made from either 2 T Indian tamarind paste or a rehydrated dried block
2 scallions, sliced
1/2 c. fresh basil, sliced
2-3 whole cilantro leaves

Cook noodles in salted water, drain thoroughly, and chill. Boil or steam the shrimp, and chill. Mix garlic and ginger with chilies, chili oil, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and fish sauce; crush with lemongrass and lime juice. Let sit for 1 hour, then remove lemongrass. Add tamarind, scallions, and basil. Toss noodles, shrimp, mushrooms, and tofu with dressing; garnish with cilantro leaves.