JBug's Kitchen Antics: Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad (Bo Bun)

Last night's stop on our little "mini vacation" was Vietnam for this fabulous noodle salad. This is what I order when we go out on a date night to our favorite Vietnamese/Thai Restaurant (Saigon). Typical of all Vietnamese cooking, this salad is full of fresh ingredients including lots of vegetables with meat included almost as an afterthought.

Traditionally including shrimp, chicken or pork, I chose to think outside the box a tad and used beef that I marinated for several hours in garlic, green onion, lime and a little soy before cooking it in a very hot grill pan.

Otherwise our rice noodle salad is pretty close to typical. Rice vermicelli noodles sit on a bed of fresh bean sprouts, shredded lettuce, cucumber, carrot and slivered green onions. Topped with a mix of fresh herbs including basil, mint and cilantro and garnished with chopped peanuts along with thin slices of meat and sliced egg rolls, the crowning glory is really the salad's dressing, Nuoc Cham. A Vietnamese dipping sauce, it appeals to the tastebuds by including a little heat, a little sweet, a touch of sour and a lot of flavor.Don't let the addition of fish sauce turn you off. It doesn't taste fishy in the least but if you have a allergy to shell fish, you'd be best to just leave it out.

By the way, I love to mix a couple of sauces in my bowl but that's just personal taste so don't get the "tradition police" after me, OK. I just had to include some of that peanut sauce we had Sunday night too because it's too darn delicious to ignore. All in all, it was a light refreshing meal, perfect for our hot August night.

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad (Bo Bun)

1 pound boneless beef steak

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 green onion, sliced

Zest of a lime

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients in a zip top bag and marinate in the refrigerator for minimum 4 hours. Cook steak on grill pan to desired doneness (3 minutes 1 side, 2 minutes on the other for medium rare). Remove from pan and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice into thin strips. Set aside.

Salad:

8 ounces of rice vermicelli

2 cups fresh bean sprouts, cleaned

2 cups shredded lettuce

1 cucumber, seeded and cut into julienne strips

1 carrot, shredded

handful each of fresh mint, cilantro and basil, chopped

1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook rice vermicelli noodles for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring pot occasionally. The noodles are cooked when soft and white but still firm. Drain well and run under cold water until cool. Set aside at room temperature.

To serve:

Place bean sprouts, lettuce, cucumber and carrots in the bottom of the bowl. Add cool vermicelli noodles and a handful of fresh herbs. Top off with slices of beef, and garnish with a chopped peanuts. Drizzle with Nuoc Cham sauce. Serves 4

Nuoc Cham (Dressing)

1 Thai bird’s eye chili or jalapeno, minced

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon chile paste (sambal olek optional)

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup fish sauce

1/4 cup hot water

1 tablespoon shredded carrot (optional)

Chop chili and garlic until well minced. Add to small bowl with sugar and remaining ingredients. Stir well. Let sit for a minimum of 15 minutes before using.