Vietnamese Rice Noodle Bowl

If you've never made a Vietnamese Rice Noodle Bowl what are you waiting for? Rice noodles are a staple in gluten free kitchens, and this bowl is like a deconstructed salad roll. Make it simple with grilled chicken or go all out for a party with all the protein options; chicken, pork, shrimp and even tofu.

Vietnamese cuisine is a gift to the gluten free community. Get your gluten free Asian pantry stocked and work your way through the many naturally gluten free dishes from Vietnam.

Ingredients

Your Vietnamese Rice Noodle Bowl can, and should, be something you make for an everyday meal. Maybe the meat never got marinated or maybe you don't have fresh herbs, but it can still be a healthy and delicious dinner.

Then, when you're deciding what to make for friends you've got a recipe you're familiar with. Just do all the steps and make an amazing bowl that's naturally gluten free.

Lemongrass Marinade

• lemon juice
• fish sauce
• sugar
• gluten free soy sauce
• chile sauce (I use Sambal oelek)
• garlic & ginger
• lemongrass

Noodle Bowl

• shrimp, chicken, pork chop or tofu (marinated for the best bowl, plain for an everyday bowl)
• rice vermicelli noodles
• carrot
• cucumber
• lettuce
• herbs: cilantro, mint and/or Thai basil
• peanuts

Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce

• crushed red chile flakes
• rice vinegar (or regular vinegar if that's all you have)
• fish sauce
• lime juice
• garlic
• sugar

See recipe card for exact amounts.

Instructions

Think of these five easy steps and making a rice noodle bowl won't be complicated. Once you’ve made it three times (that's the magic number) you’ll think it's easy. Ten times and it's become a regular on your meal rotation.

1. Make the nuoc cham dipping sauce in advance. I will never disclose how long that sauce sits in my fridge. I fill two or three jars when I make it and am very happy to know that job is done for many bowls, salads and salad rolls.
2. Soften the rice noodles. Use a timer for 5 minutes.
3. Cut the veggies and herbs. Straight into an airtight container if not using right away.
4. Chop some peanuts.
5. Pick the meat you want. This is the only step to plan ahead for marinated meat. Smart cooks divide their meat into two portions when they make it; one for dinner and one for the freezer.

Instructions To Store and Soften Rice Noodles

Store rice vermicelli noodles in a extra large ziplock bag and break off what you need right inside the bag. This prevents the noodles from flying all over the kitchen floor. If you know what I mean you'll be adding those extra large bags to your grocery list right now.

To soften any size of rice noodles I cover them in boiling water and set the timer for 5 minutes. Once you've over cooked them and they look like the crumbs in the bottom of the bag, you'll set the timer.

this gluten free recipe

Top Tip

Buy frozen chopped lemongrass. I have it in my freezer so I never have to go shopping to make any dish with lemongrass. Of course you can buy it fresh and chop it yourself. To learn more about it checkout this post (with video), How To Use Lemongrass.

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Bowl

This recipe can be made simple for an everyday dinner or done up like the Bun Combo you get off a menu in a Vietnamese restaurant. For my 'special occasion' version I used lemongrass chicken, pork and shrimp along with all the herbs; cilantro, mint and Vietnamese basil. Mix and match with what you like and what you have.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Keyword: Rice Noodle Bowl

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Marinating and Assembling Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 671kcal

Author: Cinde Little

Ingredients

LEMONGRASS MARINADE

• ▢ 6 tablespoon lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
• ▢ ¼ cup fish sauce
• ▢ 3 tablespoon sugar
• ▢ 2 tablespoon gluten free soy sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chile sauce (I use Sambal oelek)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• ▢ 3 tablespoon chopped ginger
• ▢ 2 tablespoon frozen, chopped lemongrass (or 4 fresh stalks trimmed, cut and finely chopped)

THE MEAT (any or all of the following)

• ▢ 2 chicken breast halves (or 8 oz chicken filets)
• ▢ 1 pork chop (or 6 oz pork tenderloin, cubed or sliced thin)
• ▢ 12 large shrimp (16-20 count)

THE NOODLE BOWL

• ▢ 250 g thin rice vermicelli noodles (also called rice sticks)
• ▢ 1 cup carrot, sliced thin or julienned
• ▢ 1 cup cucumber, finely julienned
• ▢ 1 cup lettuce, finely sliced
• ▢ 1 cup cilantro, mint and/or Thai basil, chopped (Thai basil is THE BEST. Look for it!)
• ▢ ½ cup chopped, salted peanuts

NUOC CHAM DIPPING SAUCE

• ▢ ½ teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
• ▢ ½ tablespoon rice vinegar (or regular vinegar if that's all you have)
• ▢ ½ cup fish sauce
• ▢ ¼ cup lime juice
• ▢ ¾ cup warm water
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ ½ cup sugar

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Instructions

LEMONGRASS MARINADE for CHICKEN, PORK or SHRIMP

• Combine all ingredients stirring until sugar is dissolved.
• CHICKEN/PORK - Pour over meat using separate bowls for each kind. Marinate at least 30 minutes or overnight. (Advance prep tip - Meat can be frozen in the marinade.)
• SHRIMP - Pour over raw shrimp and let marinate 15-30 minutes, no more.*

NUOC CHAM DIPPING SAUCE

• Combine all ingredients in a large measuring cup or Mason jar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside. (Advance prep tip - Make the whole recipe, label the jar and get it in the fridge. Keeps indefinitely.)

NOODLE BOWL PREP

• Place rice noodles in large bowl. Cover with boiling water and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain, rinse briefly and set aside. Can be prepared a day in advance.
• Organize all toppings for quick assembly.
• Preheat barbecue then cook as follows: Chicken breast and pork chop 6 minutes per side. Shrimp on skewers 2 minutes per side.
• Alternately cook any meat according to the size of pieces using a broiler, sauté pan or barbecue.

SERVING

• Divide ingredients into 4 bowls as follows: Noodles / carrot / cucumber / lettuce / fresh herbs.
• Top with cooked meat. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve with individual dishes of nuoc cham on the side.
• Pour sauce over the whole bowl and enjoy!

Notes

MARINATING SHRIMP - If fish is left in an acidic marinade for longer than 30 minutes it will start to cook.

VEGETARIAN OPTION - Lemongrass marinade works well on tofu. Marinade for 30 minutes and saute or grill tofu.

VEGAN OPTION or FISH ALLERGY - Use my Fish Sauce Substitute for all recipes calling for fish sauce.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Bowl

Amount Per Serving (1 bowl)

Calories 671 Calories from Fat 126

% Daily Value*

Fat 14g22%

Saturated Fat 3g19%

Trans Fat 0.03g

Polyunsaturated Fat 4g

Monounsaturated Fat 6g

Cholesterol 107mg36%

Sodium 4324mg188%

Potassium 1016mg29%

Carbohydrates 102g34%

Fiber 5g21%

Sugar 39g43%

Protein 37g74%

Vitamin A 5839IU117%

Vitamin C 20mg24%

Calcium 112mg11%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Frequently Asked Questions