This recipe is courtesy of Hailey Malepeai from Haiely’s Wild Kitchen. Hailey is a lifelong Idahoan, hunter, angler, and chef focused on wild game and local ingredients.

I don’t know if anyone else is like this but eating the “choicest cuts” of elk is always the hardest for our family. The reward of hunting, packing out the meat, and butchering makes us feel that we need to do something “special” whenever we eat elk backstraps, steaks, or tenderloin.

With the nagging feeling that we should be enjoying the elk tenderloin in our freezer, we decided to cook a favorite Asian noodle dish. We invited friends who would appreciate the unique nature of this meal and the work that went into it – beyond the simple act of cooking.

I do know this, for hunters cooking a special meal from wild game is another layer that adds to the experience of a hunt and a way to honor the animal that provided it.

Want to learn more about elk in Idaho? Discover More >

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package of vermicelli rice noodles

• 4 carrots, sliced thin

• 1 cucumber, sliced thin

  3 green onions, sliced thin

• 1/2 head cabbage or lettuce, sliced thin

• Handful of herbs: basil, mint, CILANTRO!

• Sesame oil, drizzle

• Grilled protein, elk but can use beef. venison, chicken, tofu or keep it veggie only

• Optional: spring rolls or egg rolls

Nuac Cham Dressing Recipe:

• 4 tbs fish sauce

• 4 tbs brown sugar

• 3 tbs rice vinegar

• 1 juicy lime or 2 if not so juicy

• 1/2 cup warm water

• 3 cloves garlic, grated

• 1 carrot, grated

• sliced chilis if you’re feeling spicy

Elk Marinade:

Store-bought teriyaki marinades like Yoshida works great. For this, we used:

• ½ cup soy sauce

• 2 tbs fish sauce

• 2 tbs rice vinegar

• 1 tbs sesame oil

• 1 tbs brown sugar

• 1 tsp pepper

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsb ginger powder

DIRECTIONS:

Marinate your elk in your favorite Asian marinade overnight. Grill your elk to medium-rare (or desired wellness) and let rest. Soak the rice noodles in hot water for 15 minutes. Once softened, drain in a colander and drizzle with a little sesame oil so they don’t stick together (they will if you don’t drizzle them with some sort of oil). Toss well and pour into a large serving bowl. Top with veggies, herbs, grilled meat, and egg rolls.

For the dressing: combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Cover and refrigerate before serving. Drizzle liberally on the salad. Great for dunking egg rolls, too!