Vermicelli Salad Bowls
This Vietnamese-inspired bowl is what I might call a hacked-up and spit-out bún chả — my take on the somewhat-Americanized bowls that you can find across the country, but with more veg.
If thinking about this is making you want to make more of the “real” thing, I would refer you with confidence to this delicious version of the traditional Vietnamese pork and noodle dish, which I have made several times with success.
This dish here is more of a happy nod to the bún chả.
In this case, at Eric’s request, we veer off the traditional course by getting greedy with the limes. A more salad-like dressing gets combined with the traditional fish saucy sauce, and we get to this salad-noodle-bowl-combo. In our case, it is our go-to when we feel hungover — not necessarily traditionally, although yes, hungover from alcohol fits the bill — but moreso like yesterday, when we woke up after a heavy Christmas dinner of prime rib and risotto and needed a bit of a detox.
That’s when Eric starts requesting “something acidic” and my mind immediately goes here. (The dish could also be called “healthy-delicious optimization” because it is definitely at the top of those pyramids.) I haven’t included a protein but anything can be added — grilled shrimp, tofu, those pork meatballs (pictured at the end of this post), or really anything you want to use up. The more of a char you get on it, the more flavor it will impart to the rest of the dish. And please, any random fresh veg you have sitting around that wants to be used, can certainly be added as well.
Finally, while I want to suggest that you make this even if you are missing a few ingredients, I want to highlight the importance of the mint. Here, the mint takes on an earthy, herbacious vibe that brightens the entire dish and adds complexity in the most easeful of ways. It’s sly, too — if you are looking at the ingredients in the fridge and don’t have any, you won’t overtly miss it, but if you are staring at the box of $3 mint at the store and wondering if it’s necessary, here I am to encourage you to buy it.
Vietnamese(ish) Vermicelli Salad Bowls
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
Dressing:
1 lime, zested with a microplane and juiced
1 T rice vinegar
2 T fish sauce
1 T brown sugar, packed
2 T soy sauce
2 T sesame oil
1 T neutral oil (olive works fine)
1 knob of ginger, grated with a microplane
2 garlic cloves, grated with a microplane
A squirt of sriracha, 1 tsp of chili garlic sauce, or a pinch of cayenne
Salad Components:
1 package of rice vermicelli noodles
1/2 cabbage, grated through large holes of a box grater
2 carrots, grated through small holes of box grater
1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
1 cucumber, sliced thinly
For assembly:
1/3 cup peanuts, roasted
3-4 scallions, sliced on the bias
3-4 sprigs of mint, leaves removed and sliced into thin strips (just before serving so they don’t oxidize)
Instructions
Make the dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients together and set aside for later.
Prepare the noodles: Heat a medium pot of water to a boil and turn off heat. Add noodles and let sit until you are ready to assemble the salad, or 5-10 minutes. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water to cool, and then combine in a bowl with a splash each of sesame oil and soy sauce.
Assemble the salad: In either one large bowl or in individual wide bowls, place each of the salad components in generous piles. Pour dressing over the top, and garnish with the peanuts, scallions, mint, and any protein, if adding. Drizzle with sriracha, as shown below (optional).
Pictured below: a version with just lettuce and cucumber (and those pork meatballs linked above) — proving that you can be flexible with whatever veg you have on hand and it will still be delicious.
