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    Home » Recipes » Gluten Free Main Course

    Vietnamese Rice Noodle Bowl

    Published: Aug 14, 2024 by Cinde LittleThis post may contain affiliate links4 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    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.

    A white bowl filled with rice noodles, grilled shrimp, chicken and pork, shredded lettuce and fresh herbs with a dish of nuoc cham dipping sauce beside it.

    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.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Instructions To Store and Soften Rice Noodles
    • Substitutions & Variations
    • Top Tip
    • Vietnamese Rice Noodle Bowl
    • Frequently Asked Questions

    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.

    A container with all the fixings for a rice noodle bowl or salad rolls: sliced peppers and cucumber, grated carrots, shrimp halves, cabbage and rice noodles. Beside are dishes with sesame seeds and chopped peanuts.

    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.

    YouTube player this gluten free recipe

    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.

    A bowl filled with rice noodles, grilled shrimp, chicken and pork, shredded lettuce and fresh herbs with a dish of nuoc cham dipping sauce beside it.

    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
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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

    Is nuoc cham sauce the same as fish sauce

    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.

    What to make with leftover nuoc cham dipping 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.

    __________________________________________________________________________

    New here? I've got help to get you from overwhelmed and frustrated to confidently cooking gluten free food the whole family wants to eat. Subscribe and get your free resource, 29 Tips for GF flour.

    Send me those 29 Tips!

    🎉 I made it into the Top 100 Gluten Free Blogs for 2025 and the Top 40 Gourmet Food Blogs. To learn all the ways I can help you click here, Everyday Gluten Free Gourmet.

    _________________________________________________________________________

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    Comments

      5 from 1 vote

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Cinde Little

      June 13, 2024 at 11:20 pm

      5 stars
      I love this bowl!

      Reply
    2. Justin Little

      August 24, 2022 at 8:47 pm

      Such an easy dish and perfect to make the next day for lunch! So ideal for meal prep. Good job Cinde!

      Reply
      • Cinde Little

        August 24, 2022 at 8:53 pm

        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.

        Reply
    3. Cinde Little

      August 24, 2022 at 8:44 pm

      Awesome!

      Reply

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    Vietnamese Noodle Bowl with lemongrass chicken, pork and shrimp

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