Vietnamese Herb and Salad Plate Recipe

Ingredients

• Asian or sweet basil leaves
• Mint leaves
• Coriander sprigs
• Leaf lettuce (one or more kinds), separated into leaves
• Small scallions, trimmed
• Small lime wedges
• Bird chiles, whole or minced
• Cucumber slices or chunks
• Bean sprouts, raw or briefly parboiled and drained
• Carrot and Daikon Pickled Salad, recipe follows
• Pickled Bean Sprout Salad, recipe follows
• 1/2 pound carrots, peeled
• 1/2 pound daikon radish, peeled
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 pound mung bean sprouts (about 6 cups loosely packed)
• 5 large scallions or 8 smaller ones, trimmed, smashed flat with the side of a cleaver, sliced lengthwise into ribbons, and then cut crosswise into 2 to 3-inch lengths
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 4 cups water