Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried rice vermicelli or 1 pound fresh bun
- 8 romaine lettuce leaves, ribs removed, julienned
- 2 carrots, peeled and julienned
- 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced into crescents
- 12 large mint leaves, julienned
- Nuoc Cham, as needed, recipe follows
Directions
If using dried rice vermicelli, place it in a bowl and cover with lukewarm water. Let stand until pliable, about 20 minutes. Bring a pot of hot water to a boil. Drain and divide the rice vermicelli into 4 equal portions. Place 1 portion at a time in a sieve and lower it into the boiling water. Untangle the noodles with chopsticks and boil until tender but firm, about 3 seconds. Remove, drain, and place in a large bowl. Repeat this step until you have 4 individual servings. If using fresh bun, there is no need to boil them.
Divide the noodles among 4 bowls. Scatter some lettuce, carrot, cucumber, and mint over each bowl. Drizzle with nuoc cham and toss well.
- Fish Dipping Sauce: Nuoc Cham
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/3 cup fish sauce
- 1/2 cup lime or lemon juice
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 or more bird's eye or Thai chiles, seeded and minced
- 1 shallot, peeled, thinly sliced, and rinsed (optional)
Whisk together the sugar, water, fish sauce, and lime juice in a bowl until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the garlic, chile, and shallot, and let stand for 30 minutes before serving.
Yield: 2 cups Preparation Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 5 minutes Non-Active Cooking Time: 30 minutes
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By quotidianus
Pittsburgh, PA
on September 02, 2011
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it's a very simple-to-put-together dish with lovely layers of flavor and it's pretty healthy as well. my son started making this during the summer and topping it with anything from meatballs to grilled shrimp to lemongrass chicken, also tossing in bean sprouts, different greens (rocket, baby spinach, etc. he also tried zesting the lime and tossing the zest into the nuac cham.
@healthgrrl: traditionally, nuoc cham is made with lime juice. in fact, a lot of vietnamese cooking uses lime. some restaurants, however, skimp a bit and either use bottled lime juice or rice wine vinegar. whatever is used, the nuac cham needs an acid to balance the flavors.
By healthgrrl
on June 02, 2011
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This is NOT the same Bun you get at a restaurant - at least not at any restaurant I've every been. The citrus in the sauce throws the whole recipe off balance. I questioned the use of lemon or lime juice but decided to give it a chance based on the other reviews and 5 star rating. FAIL in my book. May try this again without any citrus.
By loriwilliams.sc...
Prosperity, 80
on June 21, 2010
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I have tried to recreate this dish several times with no luck. Finally, now I have the recipe!! The secret is in the sauce! We top it with some grilled shrimp and some crushed peanuts (for the crunch to eat as a main dish. Put with a side of red chili pepper sauce to heat it up! Yum!!
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