Vietnamese style salad bowls with rice noodles and chicken meatballs

• ¹⁄₄ cup lime juice

• ¹⁄₄ cup rice vinegar

• 2 tbsp palm or brown sugar (taste when all ingredients are added and add more if necessary)

• 1 bird's eye or Thai red chile, very thinly sliced

• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed or very finely minced

• 2 tsp fish sauce (adjust to taste, fish sauce can be a bit of an acquired taste, start with 1 or 2 teaspoons and add more as you see fit. My preferred brand is Red Boat)

• ¹⁄₂ tsp toasted sesame oil

• ¹⁄₄ cup water

Pickled carrot and shallot

• 2 tsp kosher salt

• 2 tsp granulated sugar

• 2 tsp dark soy sauce (there is a difference between dark and light soy sauce. Dark is generally less salty and more malty than light - not to be confused with light sodium soy sauce. If you can't find dark, Tamari or Kikkoman are good go-to brands)

• ¹⁄₃ cup rice vinegar

• ¹⁄₂ cup water

• 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced very thin (use a mandolin to get to 1/8 inch thickness)

• 1 shallot, peeled and also very thinly sliced (again use a mandolin, discard the nub at the end and for god's sake use the guard)

For the meatballs

• 1 pound ground chicken

• ¹⁄₂ cup leftover rice

• 1 egg

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• ¹⁄₂ cup loosely packed, finely chopped mint

• ¹⁄₄ cup chopped cilantro (this is optional, if you're like me you hate cilantro so I always leave it out, I know I know, sacrilege, but what can I say? I have "the gene")

• 1 tbsp finely grated lemon grass (if you can't find good, fresh lemon grass use powdered. Or grow your own in a pot in a warm sunny window)

• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 1 tsp fish sauce

• 3 tbsp neutral oil

For the noodles and salad

• 1 tbsp granulated sugar

• 1 package rice vermicelli noodles (cooked per package directions)

• 1 head shredded lettuce (iceberg is a great choice here - do not come for me, it works in a few applications like burgers, but that's another recipe - or romaine or butter, you choose)

• 1 English cucumber, peeled and cut into 2 inch long match sticks

• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

• assortment of fresh herbs, chopped (Mint, Thai basil, cilantro)