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.
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Ingredients
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.
- 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.
- Soften the rice noodles. Use a timer for 5 minutes.
- Cut the veggies and herbs. Straight into an airtight container if not using right away.
- Chop some peanuts.
- 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.
Substitutions & Variations
Every name starts with the word bún followed by the name of the meat on top.
Noodles: The Vietnamese word for thin, rice vermicelli is bún and restaurants have whole sections on their menu for bún.
Protein: Make it with one or all of the choices in the recipe. Bún with Lemongrass Chicken, Bún with Satay Beef and Bún combo, everything plus a deep fried spring roll (often not gluten free).
Marinade: Substitute with an Asian meat recipe like chicken satay and peanut sauce.
Sauce: Nuoc cham dipping sauce is the classic but many people use gluten free hoisin sauce or peanut sauce.
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
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
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
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
No, fish sauce, called nuoc mam in Vietnamese, is an essential ingredient in the dipping sauce commonly served with salad rolls and noodle bowls. There are many variations of the dipping sauce called nuoc cham. It often includes lime juice, vinegar, sugar and chiles but will always include fish sauce.
I make these three recipes with nuoc cham dipping sauce; Cabbage Chicken Salad, Pork in Tomato Sauce and Vietnamese Salad Rolls. There are slight variations among nuoc cham but I love them all and use them interchangeably in these recipes.
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Cinde Little
I love this bowl!
Justin Little
Such an easy dish and perfect to make the next day for lunch! So ideal for meal prep. Good job Cinde!
Cinde Little
Thanks Justin! I agree. My secret is keeping that Nuoc Cham dipping sauce in the fridge ALL THE TIME! It lasts for months and when I want to make the recipe it's just that much easier.
Cinde Little
Awesome!