Bun Thit Nuong - Vietnamese Noodle Salad

Bún thịt nướng or Vietnamese grilled meat with vermicelli salad is a refreshing and one of the many Vietnamese rice noodle dishes, perfect for warm weather! The vermicelli is garnished with sweet and savory grilled meat or vegetarian protein, fresh vegetables, herbs, and dressed with a generous splash of Vietnamese fish sauce (nước mắm). From there, you can add anything you like, such as fried spring rolls, crushed peanuts, or more herbs. In short, contrasting flavors that come together in a big bowl of deliciousness. This dish is a staple for us when the sun shines!

How to Make Bún thịt nướng

Step 1: A great marinade makes a great bún thịt nướng

Personally, we love pork on our bún thịt nướng, marinated in a mixture of lemongrass, garlic, shallots, and fish sauce. To make it traditional, cook the meat over charcoal for that smoky flavor. But you can use any protein you like, such as shrimp, chicken, beef, or vegetables, or any vegan protein like tofu, and cook it by frying, roasting in the oven, or even using your air fryer. We believe that if you apply the marinade properly to your protein, it will give that distinct flavor that elevates the dish. Tip: instead of fresh lemongrass, you can also use ground lemongrass.

Step 2: The noodles

Bún Thịt Nướng is made with rice noodles, which you can find in many brands, but the above is a photo of our go-to brand. These are medium-sized thin rice noodles. Unfortunately, they usually aren't labeled medium, so it’s hard to tell. If they aren’t labeled thin, bean thread, thick, large, or extra-large, you can safely assume they are medium-sized rice noodles, and sometimes there's a picture on the package that can help. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. For this specific brand, the package says 8-10 minutes, but we always cook it for 8 minutes, then drain the noodles in a colander and rinse them well with cold water. This will help prevent the noodles from sticking and becoming overcooked. To make sure the noodles are cooked, carefully take a noodle from the pan and squeeze it between your fingers. If it falls apart with a little resistance, it's done, or you can simply taste one.

Step 3: Vegetables and herbs

Bún Thịt Nướng is usually served with a variety of vegetables. You often see lettuce and cucumber, but you can also add bean sprouts, for example. As for the type of lettuce, it doesn’t really matter. Just rinse and wash them in cold water, as it's cleaner, fresher, and you want the crispiness of the vegetables. There is really no right or wrong when it comes to how you cut your vegetables. For the herbs, it's difficult to find traditional Vietnamese herbs known as rau thơm, peppermint (húng cây), green mint (húng Lủi), coriander (ngò), perilla (tía tô), fish mint (dấp cá) here in the Netherlands. But with just coriander and mint from the local supermarket, you’ll do just fine.

Step 4: The Sauce

And then a very, if not the most important component of bún thịt nướng: the mother sauce, nước mắm, to bring everything together. To make the sauce, you need a bottle of fish sauce, water, sugar, lime/vinegar, garlic, and chili peppers. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and stir well to combine. Check out our recipe for Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc mam). Nowadays, you can also use ready-made fish sauce.

Step 5: Assembling Bún Thịt Nướng

Once you have all the components, you just need to assemble them as desired. Start by adding rice noodles to a bowl, along with the vegetables of your choice. Then, add your proteins and top with fresh herbs and a drizzle of nước mắm. You can also garnish your bowl with roasted, ground peanuts and/or fried shallots. One more tip: mix everything before eating!

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Ingredients:

• Rice noodles (we use those from Bamboo Tree)
• 500 g pork belly (or use beef or chicken)
• Cilantro
• Mint
• Lettuce
• Cucumbers
• Nuoc Mam

For the marinade:

• 1 tablespoon chopped shallot
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped lemongrass or 2 tablespoons ground lemongrass
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 0.5 tablespoon five-spice powder
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Optional components:

• Roasted peanuts (coarsely chopped)
• Fried spring rolls
• Pickled carrots and daikon