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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 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.
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keyword: Rice Noodle Bowl
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Marinating and Assembling Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 4 people
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

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.