If you think Vietnamese Rice Noodle Bowls are too much work, think again!

I’m giving you all my tips to make easy rice noodle bowls to inspire you to make one this week. Once you’re making easy bowls then you can make the fancy version for friends.

The number of times you’ve made any recipe is what makes entertaining look easy.

Step By Step Instructions For Rice Noodle Bowls

1. Make the nuoc cham dipping sauce.
2. Soften the rice noodles.
3. Cut the veggies and arrange in an airtight container with fresh herbs.
4. Chop some peanuts.
5. Pick the meat or tofu you want.

That’s it, five easy steps to make a rice noodle bowl. Once you’ve done it three times you’ll think this is easy. After ten times it might become a regular on your meal rotation.

Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce for Rice Noodle Bowls

Nuoc cham is that thin, fishy sauce used in almost every Vietnamese and Thai recipe. It contains Asian fish sauce which is an essential ingredient for a gluten free pantry.

If you don’t have fish sauce yet check out either of these posts where I try to convince you it’s essential!

• Gluten Free Asian Pantry
• Gluten Free Fish Sauce

Once you’ve got fish sauce (it will last indefinitely) make the Nuoc Cham dipping sauce in advance. I measure right into a Mason jar, label it and get it in the fridge.

I’ve got other ways to use it so I always make the full recipe. You’ll find links to them at the bottom of this post.

What Are Rice Vermicelli Noodles

The Vietnamese word for thin, rice vermicelli is bún and restaurants have whole sections on their menu for bún. Every name starts with the word bún followed by the name of the meat on top;

• Bún with Lemongrass Chicken
• Bún with Satay Beef
• Bún combo (everything plus a deep fried spring roll)

The Best Toppings For Rice Noodle Bowls

Everything goes on top but here I’m talking about the meat. For a simple version you can use plain cooked shrimp. Make a vegetarian version using tofu with the same lemongrass marinade (ideally give it thirty minutes to marinate).

When I order a Vietnamese Rice Noodle Bowl from a restaurant I like bún with lemongrass chicken. That’s the marinade I use in this recipe.

My version of the bún combo with chicken, pork and shrimp. I skipped the gluten filled, deep fried spring roll that is often included on restaurant menus in Canada.

When I make this version of my noodle bowl with ‘everything’, I call it my special occasion rice noodle bowl. It’s too much work for an everyday meal but I wanted you to see that you can easily do this.

How To Store and Soften Rice Noodles

I store my rice vermicelli noodles in a extra large ziplock bag and break off what I need from the bundle. This keeps the noodles in the bag and not flying all over an onto the kitchen floor.

In this video I show you how I soften rice noodles with boiling water (5 minutes, set a timer!) and the two sizes I have in my pantry. Thin rice vermicelli noodles are the size I like for this noodle bowl recipe.

Watch on YouTube

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Vegetables for Easy Rice Noodle Bowls

Keep it simple to start. I always have carrots, cucumber and some kind of lettuce and that’s enough for an everyday version. I sometimes use a mandoline to cut perfect julienned carrot and cucumber but a good knife always works.

In the photo below I prepped veggies and noodles to make Salad Rolls. Since salad rolls and rice noodle bowls have similar ingredients this will give you an idea of what you might want.

The Lemongrass Marinade

This marinade adds flavour to any meat or tofu. I buy and store frozen, chopped lemongrass and love the convenience of being able to make recipes that call for it anytime.

For more on fresh vs frozen lemongrass check out this post (and video), How To Use Lemongrass.

PIN for later…

That’s all my tips to make your Vietnamese Rice Noodle Bowl the way you like. Easy somedays and fancy when the occasion calls for it. I’d love to hear about your bowls in the comments below.

What To Make with Leftover Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce

Here are three other recipes that use slight variations of nuoc cham. Use any version on any of these recipes. If you can identify that you like one combination over another then you’re a super taster. (I’m not.)

• Cabbage Chicken Salad
• Pork in Tomato Sauce
• Vietnamese Salad Rolls