Almost any grilled, fried, or stir-fried main dish may star in southern Vietnamese rice noodle salads, which are generically called bún (“boon”), the name of the capellini-size round rice noodles that define the dish. In Vietnam, they are sold fresh and dried. Abroad, most people use dried noodles purchased at Asian markets, though you can now buy them at regular supermarkets too.
Bún bowl salads come together easily, so keep the noodles in your pantry (see below for buying tips). Also maintain a supply of nuoc cham, lettuce, and herbs in the fridge. This template serves four but adjust the quantities and get creative with your main feature (leftovers are great, as are seared or grilled mushrooms).
This post is structured like a blueprint to walk you through what you need and then how to put together a fabulous Vietnamese bún salad for 4 people.
What you craft will rival if not be leagues better than what a restaurant may offer! That’s because you’re in full control of what’s in the bowl. Freshness counts in Vietnamese cooking. So is versatility so the information herein will help you make bun noodle salads like a champ. From nearly anything!
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Main feature
You’re making a salad and so many things can have the starring role. Go vegetarian or not. Use what you have in the fridge. For a combo salad bowl, use six to eight imperial rolls (cha gio), plus one of the other main features. I love keeping oven-fried imperial rolls, a recipe in Ever-Green Vietnamese, on hand for dropping into a bun bowl to easily and quickly make it extra special. Just pop the partially or fully thawed rolls into an air-fryer for about 15 minutes! Here’s a bún bowl with shrimp imperial rolls and char siu tofu.
Get creative with the main feature for your bún salad. Here are just a few ideas for you! My quantities here and for the remaining ingredients should serve 4 people.
Must-haves
At minimum, you need these ingredients to make bún salad bowls what they are. Without the sauce, noodles, lettuce, and herbs, bún is not bún.
- 240ml | 1 cup nước chấm dipping sauce
- 180 to 240g | 6 to 8 oz small, dried round rice noodles (bún or maifun), or 10 to 12 oz rice capellini
- 1 to 1.5L | 4 to 6 cups baby lettuce mix or thinly sliced lettuce leaves (such as butter, Boston, or green-
- 120 to 240ml | ½ to 1 cup coarsely chopped or hand-torn herbs (check the Quick Guide to Vietnamese Herbs for options)
Bún rice noodles 101
Like Italian pasta, Viet people are particular about the noodles that go into these salads. Thankfully you have many options for buying them at Asian markets and even mainstream markets. This post offers the low-down on what you buy and where to source the noodles. The noodles require cooking so do cook them before eating! Here’s a video on how to cook them:
Optional salad extras
These bonus additions lend exciting crunch, tang, and color. When you get a bowl of bún at a restaurant, it likely doesn’t come with all these things. At home, you should add choose one or more so that every bite is exhilarating:
- 3 to 4 handfuls (4 to 5 oz total) mung bean sprouts
- 1 large Persian or ½ small English cucumber, cut as matchsticks or shaved with a peeler into thin strips
- ½ to ¾ cup daikon and carrot pickle (do chua)
Optional garnishes
I call these last minute finishing touches the “bling” of bún salad bowls. They inject fattiness like bacon bits or fried croutons. Bún salads are not dressed with a vinaigrette so you want some richness to grace the top of your bowl. Crushing the peanuts in a mortar and pestle releases its oil nicely. Purchase fried shallots so you can have bún any time you want! Choose one or both!
- ⅔ cup unsalted roasted peanuts or cashew pieces, crushed or coarsely chopped, if large
- ¼ cup fried shallots or onions
5 Steps to bún salad happiness
Bun Salad Blueprint
After you’ve gathered the main feature, must-haves, add-ons and extras, it’s time to put it all together! Here’s what to do.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- Main feature
- Must-haves
- Optional salad extras
- Optional garnishes
Instructions
Make the main feature or reheat it. Use the toaster oven, microwave, or a skillet, depending on the food you’ve selected. Cold food doesn’t work well. To ensure it doesn’t wilt the lettuce and herbs, it should be warm or near room temperature. When you include imperial rolls, snip them with scissors for easy eating; 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces should do it.
Ready the must-haves. To lay the salad foundation, make the nuoc cham sauce to finish bold because it functions as a dressing. Add garlic and chile for pungency and heat, if you like. Set at the table.
Cook the noodles. In a medium pot of unsalted water, boil the noodles until tender-firm (the cooking time depends on the noodle and brand, so test to verify doneness). Drain the noodles in a colander, dump them back into the pot, and add cold water to cover. Swish for 30 to 60 seconds to quickly cool and release their starch, then re-drain. Set aside to cool to room temperature (they’ll naturally get sticky). Cover the noodles if you are not using soon or they’ll get very hard! Refrigerated noodles should be microwaved to refresh.
Assemble and serve. Divide the lettuce and herbs among four rimmed dinner plates, or large noodle soup or pasta bowls. For more crunch, color, and tang, add any of salad extras. Divide the noodles among the salads, spreading them out flat like a mattress for your toppings. If the noodles are super- sticky, very briefly rinse them under water to loosen, shake the colander to drain well, and then portion them among the bowls.
Add the main feature and optional garnishes. Remember that nuts lend texture and fried shallots offer richness. Present the salad and invite diners to drizzle and dress with the sauce and toss. Enjoy with chopstick (or fork) and spoon to mix up all the components and deliver them to your mouth.
www.vietworldkitchen.com (Article Sourced Website)
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