Vietnamese vermicelli noodle salad, or bun, is a very delicious cold noodle dish with lots of fresh veggies and delicious marinated meats, drenched in a delicious sweet and tangy fish sauce. The noodles should be room temperature, the meat should be hot, and the veggies should be cold. This creates a fun and interesting dish.

For other Vietnamese cooking ideas, check out my Vietnamese Spring Rolls.

An Easy Entertaining Idea

Lots of Vietnamese food is self-assemble, which makes it an entertainer’s dream! Simply lay out the noodles, chopped veggies, and meats, and allow your guests to serve themselves. It takes the guess work out of entertaining and everyone can tailor the dish to their own tastes, especially the amount of sauce that goes into the noodle dish. I like mine drenched!

How do I choose a vermicelli noodle?

In general, you want to choose a rice vermicelli noodle product from Vietnam or Thailand. Those tend to be better quality. No offense, but products from China are often full of strange chemicals that are harmful to the body, so I would avoid such food products if at all possible.

What is in a vermicelli noodle salad?

vermicelli noodles

lettuce

shredded cucumber

bean sprouts

mint

crushed peanuts

barbecue meat

fish sauce

fried egg rolls

Can I make vermicelli salad ahead of time?

A cardinal rule of most Vietnamese food is that you must keep the components separate until the moment you are about to eat the dish. So assemble only right before you eat your vermicelli noodle salad. Once the sauce is mixed into everything, the dish will not keep for long. If you wish to prep this ahead of time, I would make all the individual components of the dish and store them separately. Then assemble and add sauce when you are about to eat it. The vermicelli should be stored with the meat so that they may be reheated. The raw veggies should be stored together as they are eaten cold and raw. The sauce should be separate and so should the roasted peanuts for topping.

How to make Vietnamese barbecue

Vietnamese vermicelli noodle salad often features lemongrass barbecue pork. The marinated barbecue pork shared in this recipe can be used for vermicelli noodle salad, Vietnamese broken rice, or spring rolls. Or you can just eat it with some white rice and call it a night.

They key to Vietnamese barbecue is the marinade:

• oyster sauce
• fish sauce
• lemongrass
• garlic
• ginger
• sugar

Because there is sugar in this marinade, burning will occur if your fire is on too high. Keep heat at medium or even medium low when cooking.

Making Vietnamese Fish Sauce for Dipping (Nuoc Mam)

Prepared fish sauce for dipping is an essential flavor component of most Vietnamese dishes. It is made of fish sauce, lemon, sugar, chile, and water. My family has always made it with chopped garlic as an aromatic.

This prepared fish sauce is best when you give it time for its flavors to meld together. I recommend making the sauce the night before for best results. If not, then at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Always keep this sauce refrigerated and stored in a clean jar with a lid. This sauce is the same that is used for dipping in many Vietnamese salad and noodle salad dishes, so it is handy dandy to have some lying around if you are a fan of Vietnamese food.

You can keep it in your refrigerator for several months as long as you do not contaminate the jar of fish sauce with any other foods.

Happy cooking!

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Vietnamese Vermicelli Salad -Bun

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Asian

Keyword Asian, main dish, noodle salad, vermicelli, Vietnamese

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

• 1 pack vermicelli noodles

Lemongrass BBQ Pork

• 1 lb pork shoulder thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp minced lemongrass
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar

Toppings

• 1 cucumber julienned
• 1 bunch cilantro chopped
• 1 bunch mint chopped
• 1 bunch red or green lettuce chopped
• 1 handful peanuts crushed
• 1 carrot julienned optional

Fish Sauce

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1.5 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp lemon juice or lime juice
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 tsp sambal chili sauce to taste

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to boil. When water is boiling, add vermicelli noodles and cook according to package directions. When noodles are ready, remove from boiling water and place into a bowl of cold/iced water to stop the cooking process. Drain in a collander and set aside.

Lemongrass BBQ Pork

• Marinate pork in lemongrass, minced garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, and sugar. Allow to sit at least 1 hour. Overnight preferred.When meat is marinated enough, turn on skillet on high. When pan is hot, add oil and reduce heat to medium. Add in pork and fry on each side until golden brown ~5 minutes each side. Set aside.

Vegetable Fillings

• Thinly slice fresh vegetables and herbs. Set aside.

  Optional: pickle carrot in equal parts sugar, water, salt, and vinegar. Set aside.

Fish Sauce

• Make fish sauce by adding minced garlic, sugar, fish sauce, lemon juice, hot water, and sambal. Allow to sit refrigerated at least 30 minutes.

Vermicelli Salad Assembly

• Place a bed of noodles into a large bowl. Then top with lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts, mint, and cilantro. Add barbecue pork. Top with crushed toasted peanuts and pour in desired amount of fish sauce, enough to dress the salad and noodles.

Video

https://studio.youtube.com/video/zttPdaAv41o/edit/basic

Happy cooking! Tag me on Instagram @Jennskitchendiary if you’ve made this!

Nuoc mam is a fish sauce-based dipping sauce used for many Vietnamese dishes. It is as ubiquitous in Vietnamese cooking as salt and pepper in American cooking. These are some dishes you would serve with nuoc mam:

• vermicelli noodle salad
• fried egg rolls
• spring rolls
• meat-filled crepes (banh xeo)
• rolled stuffed noodles (banh cuon)

Mastering a nuoc mam recipe, or fish sauce for dipping is a must if you are going to be making Vietnamese food. In this post, you will learn how to make a balanced fish sauce/nuoc mam recipe. Oftentimes, nuoc mam is overly sweet. This recipe has more of a tang from lemon juice.

Nuoc man is a fish sauce-based dipping sauce that is a sweet, savory, spicy, and tangy. It is usually made from:

• fish sauce
• lime juice/lemon juice
• garlic
• chile
• sugar
• water
• (sometimes) vinegar

For other Vietnamese cooking ideas, check out my spicy garlic shrimp recipe.

How to Make Nuoc Mam

This nuoc mam recipe has fish sauce, lemon, sugar, chile, garlic, and water.

You can modify it depending on your taste. Add more sugar for more sweetness. Or add more fish sauce for more salty flavor. Add more lemon juice or even vinegar for more of a sour tang.

This prepared fish sauce is best when you give it time for its flavors to meld together. I recommend making the sauce the night before for best results. If not, then at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

How to Store Nuoc Mam

Always keep nuoc mam refrigerated and stored in a clean jar with a lid. This nuoc mam recipe is the same that is used for dipping in many Vietnamese salad and noodle salad dishes, so it is handy dandy to have some lying around if you are a fan of Vietnamese food.

You can keep it in your refrigerator for several months as long as you do not contaminate the jar of fish sauce with oils or any other foods.

Do not leave at room temperature as it will spoil and upset your tummy when you consume it.

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Nuoc Mam (Fish Sauce for Dipping)

A sweet, savory, spicy, and tangy Vietnamese dipping sauce that is commonly used for noodle, rice, and other dishes.

Course Sauces

Cuisine Asian, Vietnamese

Keyword dipping sauce, fish sauce, nuoc mam, Vietnamese food

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Rest Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic finely minced
• 1.5 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 tsp sambal chile sauce

Instructions

• Make fish sauce by adding minced garlic, sugar, fish sauce, lemon juice, hot water, and sambal. Allow to sit refrigerated at least 1 hour before serving.

Happy cooking! Tag me on Instagram @Jennskitchendiary if you’ve made this!

Vietnamese pork spring rolls are among my favorite of Vietnamese foods and easy dinners. They are easy, healthy, filled with lots of veggies, and are bursting with flavor. Spring rolls are usually my go-to when I am entertaining a large group of friends. They are convenient because people roll them up themselves, which saves me a lot of extra time in the kitchen. All I have to do is wash and cut up veggies, and cook my protein. After tasting pre-made spring rolls from grocery stores, I’ve realized how good the real thing is compared to what is out there! So do yourself a favor and make some for yourself. This Vietnamese spring roll recipe is very easy to follow so you can make them your own.

For other Vietnamese cooking ideas, check out my spicy garlic shrimp recipe.

An Easy Entertaining Idea

While most American families have a roast for their Sunday night family dinners, my family gatherings usually consisted of an assortment of traditional Vietnamese food and Chinese food. This spring roll recipe was an especially popular summer go-to for my family. No one wants to slave over a hot stove during the summer, so this spring roll recipe is just the fix.

Eating spring rolls became a staple for my family. I am always reminded of fun times eating with my grandmother, aunts, and uncles when I whip up some spring rolls for myself. I am transported back to my pre-adolescent days smiling and nodding along as my family members tried to instruct me on proper spring rolling form.

Rolling a Vietnamese Spring Roll

Tips for rolling spring rolls

Do not over-fill your spring rolls. Remember: less is more.

The ingredients that you layer onto the wrapper should only take up a 1-1.5 inch thick horizontal strip on the edge of your wrapper that is closest to you.

Cut up your meat, tofu, and veggies into thin strips to allow them to fit nicely onto your spring roll wrapper.

As you wrap, make sure that you keep a semi-firm grip on your roll to make sure the wrap is tight.

Essentially, you want to roll a spring roll similar to how you would roll a burrito.

As a youngster, I thought I knew everything, especially about cooking and food. I had spent hours watching Food Network stars every day, so it would only be natural for me to be an expert at this simple food preparation….wrong. It took me a long time to master rolling these babies up. As an adult, I would finally realize that I was too greedy with my rolls. That was why they would always burst apart. I thought that I could fill them up as full as you would a burrito.

How do I choose a spring roll wrapper?

Sometimes when people talk about spring rolls, they are actually referring to a fried item, like the kind you get at Chinese takeout restaurants. It’s confusing because in Cantonese, the term for the fried fried item actually translates to “spring roll.” This explains the confusion around naming. But when I talk about spring rolls, I am talking about the Vietnamese style that is un-fried.

For the non-fried healthy version of spring rolls, you want to go for a nice dried wrapper made of tapioca and rice flour. Here is the brand that I like because it is springy, has a clean flavor, and does not tear easily.

What is in Vietnamese spring rolls?

Spring roll wrapper
Protein (bbq pork, chicken, beef, pan fried tofu, boiled shrimp, fried fish, grilled shrimp)
Lettuce
Fresh crunchy veggies (cucumber, bean sprouts, and carrot)
Pickeld veggies (pickled daikon and carrot)
Fresh herbs (mints & basil)
Vermicelli rice noodle
Sauce: usually prepared fish dipping sauce or hoisin peanut sauce

My Vietnamese pork spring rolls had barbecue pork inside of them. But you can fill them with a variety of either grilled or boiled proteins. Another delicious variation of spring rolls involves having a huge fried fish in the middle of the dinner table. You take small pieces of fish and place them into your spring roll wrapper, filling it with noodles and veggies.

In terms of dipping sauces, the two most common ones are: fish dipping sauce or hoisin peanut sauce. I personally prefer fish sauce, but hoisin peanut sauce pairs nicely with spring rolls that are filled with blander proteins, e.g., tofu, boiled shrimp, and boiled pork.

How long should I soak a spring roll wrapper?

A common mistake in making spring rolls is that people dip their wrapper in water for much too long.

With the spring roll wrapper, just a quick dip in warm or hot water will be enough to soften the wrap.

It takes a minute for the wrapper to soften after being soaked, so be patient.

While you are waiting for your wrapper to soften, just start layering your fillings in the wrapper. It should be perfectly soft and rollable by the time you are ready to roll. If it is not, then wait a minute longer. If it takes too long to soften, that usually means you need to use hotter water to soak your spring roll wrapper.

Why do my spring rolls turn out wet/soggy?

You are probably over-soaking your wrapper (see paragraph above) or you are not draining your veggies and noddles enough.

You should ALWAYS drain your noodles before putting them in your spring rolls.

Please do not leave your noodles sitting in water, and then place them in the spring roll. You’ll want to strain and completely dry your noodles for at least 30 minutes before using them for spring rolls.

Can I make spring rolls ahead of time?

Spring rolls are best eaten fresh. If they are refrigerated, the wrapper and noodles become hard. If you need to make them ahead of time, wrap each one individually with saran wrap and then refrigerate. Then microwave them for 15 seconds to soften them up slightly before eating.

How to make Vietnamese barbecue

Vietnamese pork spring rolls can feature boiled pork belly or barbecue pork. The marinated barbecue pork shared in this recipe can be used to prepare thin slices of pork that are used for vermicelli noodle salad and Vietnamese broken rice. Or you can just eat it with some white rice and call it a night.

They key to Vietnamese barbecue is the marinade:

• oyster sauce
• fish sauce
• lemongrass
• garlic
• ginger
• sugar

Because there is sugar in this marinade, burning will occur if your fire is on too high. Keep heat at medium or even medium low when cooking.

Making Vietnamese Fish Sauce for Dipping (Nuoc Mam)

Click here for my nuoc mam/fish sauce recipe.

Prepared fish sauce for dipping is an essential flavor component of most Vietnamese dishes. It is made of fish sauce, lemon, sugar, chile, and water. My family has always made it with chopped garlic as an aromatic.

This prepared fish sauce is best when you give it time for its flavors to meld together. I recommend making the sauce the night before for best results. If not, then at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Always keep this sauce refrigerated and stored in a clean jar with a lid. This sauce is the same that is used for dipping in many Vietnamese salad and noodle salad dishes, so it is handy dandy to have some lying around if you are a fan of Vietnamese food.

You can keep it in your refrigerator for several months as long as you do not contaminate the jar of fish sauce with any other foods.

Happy cooking!

Print

Vietnamese Pork Spring Rolls

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Asian, Vietnamese

Keyword easy healthy recipes, spring rolls, Vietnamese spring rolls

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

• 1 pack spring roll wrapper
• 1 pot hot water for dipping spring roll wrapper

Barbecue Pork

• 1 lb pork shoulder thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp ground lemongrass
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp ground pepper

Vegetables

• 4 Persian cucumbers sliced into matchsticks
• 1 head lettuce
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 bunch mint

Vermicelli Noodles

• 1/2 pack vermicelli noodles
• 2 quarts water

Instructions

Barbecue Pork

• Marinade pork in lemongrass, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and pepper. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.
• Heat a pan on high until it is almost smoking. Then add in oil. Sear pork in oil on high heat for 3-5 minutes each side. Remove and set aside.

Noodles

• Boil a large pot of water on high. When water is boiling, add in vermicelli noodles and following cooking instructions, usually boiling for 10-12 minutes. Then rinse in cold water and drain. Set aside.

Assembling Spring Rolls

• Dip spring roll wrapper in hot water for 2-3 seconds. Once all sides have been soaked in water, remove from water and place onto a plate.
• Place 1/2 leaf of lettuce horizontally on the rice paper wrapper, about 1/2 inch from the edge closest to you.
• Then lay 1-2 small pieces of meat horizontally on top of the lettuce. Place other vegetables on top of the lettuce, also horizontally: mint, cucumber, cilantro.
• Roll the spring roll like a mini burrito. Start rolling the spring roll wrapper away from you, folding the fillings over one another. Then stop halfway, tuck in the edges on the right and left, then continue rolling.

Happy cooking! Tag me on Instagram @Jennskitchendiary if you’ve made this!