For the salad:
– Bring a large soup/stockpot of water to a boil. Add in the rice vermicelli noodles and cook until al dente – this should take 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the noodles and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking. Set aside in a colander until you’re ready to assemble the salad.
– In a small skillet, heat the canola oil until shimmering. Stir in the sliced shallot and fry until dark, golden brown. Scoop them out of the pan and onto a paper towl to drain. Wipe out the skillet and, adding just a little bit of oil, cook the shrimp until cooked through – 3 to 4 minutes. Set them aside as well to cool until you assemble the salad.
For the dressing:
– In a small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, ginger/ginger juice and minced red chili. Set aside until right before serving.